An Iran attack against Israel remains likely so it’s important to avert that scenario by finalizing a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, top US officials said as they prepared for a critical round of talks in Doha on Thursday.
“We are working 24/7 around the clock at this time to get this deal done,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in Washington.
CIA Director William Burns and US special envoy Brett McGurk will represent the US, while Mossad chief David Barnea will head the Israeli team to help secure a deal to return the remaining 115 hostages and stop the Gaza war.
“This hostage deal, this ceasefire deal, this end of war, will help lower tension in the region. And so that’s what the deal is going to do. That’s what we want to see.
“The United States is going to be there tomorrow. And we are ready. We are ready to continue these discussions,” Jean-Pierre stated.
When pressed by a reporter about whether an Iranian attack could still unfold in the coming days, Jean-Pierre said that “the assessment has not changed.”
The US is hopeful that diplomacy would avert the threat of an Iranian attack on Israel or a large-scale Hezbollah one, starting with the Gaza ceasefire deal. Jean-Pierre confirmed that the US has sent Iran messages through allies and partners about the importance of de-escalation.
The region remained on high alert for potential Iranian and Hezbollah reprisal attacks for the twin assassinations of Hezbollah Commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Israel has only claimed responsibility for the Shukr killing but is widely believed to be responsible for the Haniyeh assassination.
US, Mideast partners push diplomatic solution
US officials from New York, Washington, Tel Aviv, and Beirut underscored the message that this is the moment for diplomacy.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke about the importance of a deal with the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday and US special envoy Amos Hochstein was in Beirut seeking to de-escalate tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.
That Iranian proxy group and the IDF have engaged in heavy cross-border violence since October 7, which has made it impossible for civilians on either side of the border to live in their homes.
Hochstein’s trip to the region is his first since June.
“We continue to believe that a diplomatic resolution is achievable because we continue to believe that no one truly wants a full-scale war between Lebanon and Israel, especially not the Lebanese people and the Israeli people.”
“There’s no more time to waste, and there’s no more valid excuses from any party for any further delay,” Hochstein stated.
“The deal would also help enable a diplomatic resolution here in Lebanon, and that would prevent an outbreak of a wider war,” Hochstein said as he urged all parties to take advantage of the diplomatic window that was created by the talks.
“The more time goes by of daily conflict, the more the odds and the chances go up for accidents, for mistakes, for inadvertent targets to be hit that could easily cause escalation that gets out of control, and that is why The time it is now to get us into a better direction,” Hochstein stated.
In Tel Aviv, the ambassador of the United States Jack Lew, Great Britain’s Simon Walters, and Germany’s Steffen Seibert held an unusual press conference calling for all those involved to agree to a deal.
Lew said, “This is very close. It’s very urgent” as he stressed the importance of diplomatic conversation in resolving Israel’s multi-front war.
“The meeting tomorrow is very important, it’s a meeting where everyone has to come looking for solutions. Time is always important, but time is particularly of the essence right now.
“We don’t know how many more chances we have to bring this negotiation back together and to have a successful conclusion,” Lew said.
Walters had harsh words for Tehran.
“If Iran chooses to jeopardize these negotiations, it will bear responsibility for those actions,” Walters said.
“We are at a critical juncture. For the sake of the hostages, for the sake of Israel and the Palestinians, and for the sake of the whole region, we need a deal which will create a positive dynamic and prevent the further deterioration of a situation,” he stated.