Blinken speaks with French and UK counterparts about rising Mideast tensions

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared their concern over rising frictions in the Middle East in a phone call today, France’s foreign ministry says in a statement.

“They agreed to continue calling on all parties to exercise the greatest restraint in order to prevent any regional upheaval that would have devastating consequences for countries in the region and for peace prospects, starting with a lasting ceasefire in Gaza,” it says.

Tensions have soared following the assassination of Palestinian terror group Hamas’s leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a top military commander from Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah.

“The secretary and the foreign minister discussed ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire to secure the release of hostages and surge humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as the importance of preventing further escalation of conflict in the Middle East and the challenges posed by threats from Iran,” says the US readout on the call.

Blinken also spoke today with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, with the US state Department saying the two “reaffirmed the need to deescalate rising tensions in the Middle East and prevent the conflict from spreading.”

“They stressed the importance of finalizing the ceasefire and hostage release deal under negotiation as soon as possible,” the statement adds.