US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned against the risk of escalation in the Middle East after the detonation of thousands of Hezbollah pagers threatened to derail his latest regional diplomacy push, Reuters reports.

News of the blasts broke as the top US diplomat traveled to Cairo to meet senior Egyptian officials hoping to advance efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and improve ties with Egypt.

Asked about the blasts, Blinken said the United States was still gathering facts but it was in no one’s interest for conflict to spread.

“It’s imperative that all parties refrain from any actions that could escalate the conflict,” Blinken said at a news conference alongside his Egyptian counterpart.

He did not say who the US believes was behind the blasts.

Blinken said he was focused on securing a ceasefire deal that would bring calm, including to Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, and that 15 out of 18 paragraphs of a deal had been agreed by all sides.