Hamas attack may have been designed to derail efforts to normalise Israel-Saudi Arabia ties, says Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Sunday (Oct 8), stated that one of the intentions behind the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas may have been to derail the efforts that were being made to normalise ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

"It wouldn't be a surprise that part of the motivation may have been to disrupt efforts to bring Saudi Arabia and Israel together, along with other countries that may be interested in normalising relations with Israel," Blinken told CNN in an interview on Sunday.

Blinken, in a separate interview with ABC, stated that in recent years, Hamas grew stronger because of the support it received from Iran.However, he also mentioned that for now, there wasn't any direct evidence linking Tehran's involvement to the assault.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"There's a long relationship between Iran and Hamas. In fact, Hamas wouldn't be Hamas without the support that it's gotten over many years from Iran. We haven't yet seen direct evidence that Iran was behind this particular attack is involved, but the - the support over many years is clear."

He added, "It's one of the reasons that over the last couple of years, we have been resolutely working against Iran's support for terrorism, for destabilising actions in other countries. We've sanctioned more than 400 Iranian individuals and entities precisely for the kind of support that they've offered Hamas in the past. And it's something that we remain extremely vigilant about."

"This is a massive terrorist attack that is gunning down Israeli civilians in their towns, in their homes, and as we've seen so graphically, literally dragging people across the - the border with Gaza, including a Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair, women and children. So, you can imagine the impact this is having throughout Israel. And the world should be revolted at what it's seen," he further added.

US working to verify reports of missing and dead Americans

Blinken told US television that the administration was working to verify reports that US citizens were among the ones killed or held hostagein the Hamas assault.

"We have reports that several Americans were killed. We're working overtime to verify that. At the same time, there are reports of missing Americans and there again, we're working to verify those reports."

US to send munitions to Israel, boost forces in region

The Pentagon, on Sunday (Oct 8), released a statement saying that the US will provide additional equipment and resources, including munitions to the Israel Defense Forces.

"The United States government will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Earlier, President Biden had said that fresh military aid was on its way to Israel with "more to follow over the coming days".

Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also "discussed ongoing efforts to ensure that no enemies of Israel believe they can or should seek advantage from the current situation,"the White House said in a statement.

Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Saturday (Oct 7) morning, marking the deadliest day of violence in the country.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.