As the US deployed its guided-missile submarine USS Georgia to the Middle East, international leaders have joined forces to demand de-escalation and stability in the region that is on the precipice of all-out war.
ADVERTISEMENTLeaders of some of Europe's most powerful countries and allies have endorsed the latest push by mediators to broker an agreement ending the 10-month Israel-Hamas war.
The statement, signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, also called for the return of hostages held by Hamas and the “unfettered” delivery of humanitarian aid.
Mediators have spent months trying to get the sides to agree to a three-phase plan.
The plan would involve Hamas releasing the remaining hostages taken during the 7 October attack in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, with Israel agreeing to withdraw from Gaza.
The statement, mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt, also calls on Iran and its allies to refrain from any retaliatory attacks that would further escalate regional tensions after the killing of two senior militants last month in Beirut and Tehran.
"We are deeply concerned by the heightened tensions in the region, and united in our commitment to de-escalation and regional stability," the joint statement posted on social media platform X said.
"No country or nation stands to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East."
Hours later, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel was in a state of "preparedness" and "vigilance" against impending retaliatory strikes from Lebanon and Iran.
"The threats from Tehran as well as Beirut may come to fruition, and it is important to explain to everyone that readiness, preparation and alertness are not synonyms for fear and panic," he said during a televised interview from Tel Aviv on Monday.
Gallant also defended Israel's operations in Gaza, stating, "we committed ourselves in the goals of war — to create the conditions in order to return the hostages".
"Military pressure" is one way to guarantee roughly 110 hostages' freedom, he said.
Roughly 39,897 people in Gaza have died since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, adding that over 92,000 people have been wounded.
US sends submarine and rotates aircraft carrier
It comes after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a guided missile submarine to be sent to the Middle East while telling a large aircraft carrier to sail faster to the area, according to the Defence Department.
The carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, has F-35 fighter jets aboard, along with the F/A-18 fighter aircraft that are also on carriers. It is meant to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which is scheduled to begin heading home from the Middle East.
It was not clear how quickly the USS Georgia submarine would get to the region.
ADVERTISEMENTUS and its allies have attempted to calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
Officials have been on the lookout for retaliatory strikes by both Iran and Hezbollah for the killings, with the US beefing up its presence in the region.
Meanwhile, a hospital in southern Gaza has received the bodies of 13 people, including a child, who were killed in subsequent Israeli strikes on Khan Younis, Gaza's second-largest city.
Thousands fled southern Gaza after Israel ordered individuals to evacuate the area by dropping leaflets from planes, according to local press and civilians.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Israeli Defence Force argues that Palestinian militants are firing rockets from the area.