STORY: Blinken seemingly urges restraint from Israel in first public remarks after Iran attack
SHOOTING TIME: April 15, 2024
DATELINE: April 16, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:35
LOCATION: Washington D.C.
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Blinken
2. SOUNDBITE (English): ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of State

STORYLINE:

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a veiled message Monday to Israel, urging the country to act with restraint in a potential response to the attack launched by Iran over the weekend.

In his first public remarks following the attack, Blinken said before a meeting with an Iraqi delegation at the State Department that in the 36 hours since the attack, the United States has been "coordinating a diplomatic response to prevent escalation" in the region.

SOUNDBITE (English): ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of State
"In the 36 hours since, we have been coordinating a diplomatic response to seek to prevent escalation. Strength and wisdom need to be different sides of the same coin. I've been in close communication with counterparts in the region. And we will continue to do so in the hours and days ahead."

At the time Blinken spoke, Israel's war cabinet was wrapping up a meeting on the response to Iran's attack, according to a CNN report citing an Israeli official.

The Joe Biden administration has been trying to prevent an overreaction by Israel that would lead to a catastrophic regional war. In a Saturday night call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Biden reportedly warned him against any offensive operations against Iran, saying that Washington would neither take part in nor lend support to such actions. 

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C.
(XHTV)