General Brown's Middle East mission: A bid to defuse regional tensions

- I talk to my counterparts, what are the things we can do to deter any type of broader escalation and ensure we're taking all the appropriate steps to (avoid) ... a broader conflict - Brown told Reuters before landing in Jordan, where he began his mission. The American commander is also set to visit Israel and Egypt.

Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah have repeatedly vowed to retaliate for the attacks at the end of July, carried out by Israel or attributed to the state.

The USA announced that it will assist Israel in repelling any potential strike and has bolstered its military presence in the Middle East. Currently, the region hosts, among others, two American aircraft carriers with accompanying ships, a submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, and a squadron of F-22 fighter jets.

In an interview with Reuters, Brown refused to speculate on the possibility of an Iranian attack but assured that he would discuss all scenarios with his Israeli counterpart, including how Israel might respond depending on the Iranian and Hezbollah reactions.

The USA has also launched a diplomatic campaign to dissuade Tehran from responding. Iran has been warned that its attack will be met with severe consequences.

Washington fears that a series of further blows between Israel and Iran and its allies could lead to uncontrolled escalation and trigger an open war in the region.

At the same time, the USA is pressuring Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip that has lasted for over 10 months. Another round of talks on this matter is being held in Cairo on Saturday. According to some sources, if a truce were agreed upon, Iran would back down from its planned strike on Israel.