US prepares for likelihood of Iran proxies escalating violence in Middle East

Washington is boosting its military posture in the Middle East as it supports Israel's deadly siege on Gaza

An Israeli soldier jumps off a Merkava tank at an undisclosed location on the border with Lebanon on October 22. AFP

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

The US believes there is a “likelihood” of Iran and its proxies escalating violence in the broader Middle East as it warned that an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza could present “a bit more difficult” of a fight.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that Washington is working to avoid a “second or third” front, but is preparing for the “likelihood” of escalation.

“We don't want escalation. If we don't want to see a second or third front develop. We don't want to see our forces or our personnel come under fire, but if that happens, we're ready for it,” he told NBC's Meet the Press.

US forces in western Iraq faced fresh attacks on Sunday after a string of reported drone and rocket attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria.

The attacks, an almost regular occurrence since the end of the US-led war on ISIS wound down in 2018, have spiked in the wake of the Israel-Gaza war.

Mr Blinken added that Hamas is preventing Americans in Gaza from leaving through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt.

“Hamas has blocked them from leaving, showing once again its total disregard for civilians of any kinds who are stuck in Gaza,” he told CBS' Face the Nation in a separate Sunday interview.

Meanwhile, Washington over the weekend boosted its military readiness in the Middle East, ordering air defences throughout the region to be activated and alerting additional forces that they may be needed soon.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin warned that a looming Israeli ground incursion into Gaza “may be a bit more difficult” in part due to “the underground network of tunnels that Hamas has constructed over time”.

Hamas has “had a long time to prepare for a fight. So I think you'll see a fight that's characterised by a lot of IEDs, a lot of booby traps, and just really grinding activity going forward,” Mr Austin told ABC on Sunday.

The comments came after another deadly day in Gaza, with more than 250 Palestinians killed in just a 24-hour window.

The Health Ministry said Israeli air strikes killed 266 people, mostly targeting Gaza's southern strip, where the army has told people to flee from the north.

About 112 children were killed since yesterday afternoon, it added.

Mr Austin sidestepped questions about a statement from Jordan King Abdullah's, a stalwart US ally, calling Israel's actions a “war crime,” and repeated the US claim that it converses with the Israelis frequently about acting per international law.

“The right thing to do is to make sure that we account for civilians in our [military operations] planning, that we provide corridors for [Palestinian] movement out of the battle space, that we are not destroying protected properties and where possible, and I think Israelis have been doing this for some time,” he said.

The Israelis “are a professional force and we will continue to encourage them to make sure that they're doing things in accordance with the law of war,” he added.

Meanwhile, the first convoy deliveries of fuel and humanitarian aid entered through the Rafah crossing in Egypt this weekend.

Mr Blinken added that “some water” had been turned back on in Gaza, and that Washington remains concerned about the spread of disease there due to the drinking of dirty water.

Mr Biden on Sunday reiterated that he has discussed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “Israel must operate by the laws of war”.

“We can’t ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians who only want to live in peace,” Mr Biden posted on X, after requesting $100 billion for Israel as it continues its counter-offensive in Gaza.

Palestinians look for survivors of Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at Nusseirat refugee camp. AP

A survivor is found in the rubble in Nusseirat. AP

A man is given oxygen and pulled from the rubble in Nusseirat. AP

This desperate search for survivors is being replicated across the Gaza Strip. AP

Yocheved Lifshitz speaks to the media outside a Tel Aviv hospital after being released by Hamas. EPA

Israeli women who were held hostage by Palestinian Hamas militants, Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper (also known as Nurit Yitzhak), are released by the militants. Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron before their talks in Jerusalem. AP

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli air strike on a house in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Palestinians inspect the damage of a destroyed house that was hit by an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis. AP

Ms Cooper and Ms Lifshitz arrive at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre after being released by Hamas on Monday. AFP

A woman cries next to the rubble of a building after Israeli strikes on Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. AFP

Wateen, a 14-month-old Palestinian baby, who was wounded in an Israeli strike that killed her mother and injured her twin brother Ahmed, recovers at Nasser hospital, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip. Reuters

A Palestinian girl clutches salvaged books as people look for survivors in the rubble of a destroyed building hit in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis. AFP

People mourn during the funeral of members of the Abu Morad family who died following Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis. AFP

A wounded Palestinian man arrives at Nasser Medical Complex, following Israeli air strikes on the town of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. AP

Red Crescent Society employees sort humanitarian aid bound for Palestinians in Gaza, at a warehouse in Arish, Egypt. EPA

Ayman Abou Chamalah stands next to his daughter Mecca as she receives care inside an incubator at a hospital in Rafah. AFP

Israeli soldiers carry the coffin of Erik Kraunik, chief of security in the kibbutz of Be'eri, during his funeral at a cemetery in Yehud, Israel. AP

A man sits among the rubble of a building destroyed in Israel's bombardment of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

A Red Crescent worker sorts aid for Palestinians in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the blockaded enclave. Reuters

Israeli soldiers take part in a drill near the border with Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion. EPA

Men fill fuel containers with drinking water in Rafah. AFP

Smoke billows over Gaza after an air strike, as seen from southern Israel. AP

A person holds a child as Palestinians gather in Khan Younis at the site of a house destroyed during an Israeli bombardment. Reuters

Israeli soldiers sit on top of a tank near the border with Gaza. Getty Images

Buildings destroyed by Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis. Reuters

Palestinians are evacuated from a building in Rafah that was hit during Israel's bombardment. AP

Shahar Idan, 9, mourns during the funeral of his brother Maayan, 18, who was killed by Hamas gunmen in the kibbutz of Nahal Oz. His father Tzahi is being held hostage in Gaza. Reuters

Palestinian doctors treat a premature baby at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al Balah, Gaza. AP

Rescue crews search for bodies after Hamas militants attacked the kibbutz of Be'eri in Israel. Getty Images

Lorries carrying humanitarian aid head to Deir Al Balah after crossing from Egypt through Rafah. Bloomberg

Palestinians evacuate survivors in Deir Al Balah after an Israeli bombardment. AP

Smoke rises after Israeli air strikes on Gaza. EPA

Israeli soldiers at a position along the border with Lebanon. EPA

A woman leans against the window of an ambulance outside Kuwait Hospital after an Israeli strike in Rafah. AFP

A Palestinian cries as the body of his daughter is recovered from beneath the rubble of a building destroyed during an Israeli air strike on Rafah. AFP

A convoy carrying humanitarian aid arrives in Rafah after crossing into the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Bloomberg

The pictures of more than 1,000 people abducted or killed during the attack by Hamas militants are displayed on empty seats at Tel Aviv University. Getty

Palestinians are evacuated from buildings in Rafah after the bombardment of the Gaza Strip. AP

Israeli soldiers gather at an undisclosed location near the border with Gaza. EPA

Palestinians mourn outside a house in Gaza struck by Israel. Reuters

A bullet-riddled fridge in a house in the kibbutz of Kissufim in southern Israel, where 14 people were killed and four were abducted by Hamas militants on October 7. AP

Football fans inside Anfield stadium hold up Palestine flags during the Liverpool-Everton derby on Saturday. Reuters

Palestinians wounded in the bombardment of Gaza are taken to Al Asa Hospital in Deir Al Balah. AP

Rescuers search for victims and survivors in buildings destroyed by air strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty

Residents of Tel Aviv show support for the families of hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas. Reuters