In an exchange with Al Jazeera’s correspondent Kimberly Halkett, the White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the US “does not want the conflict [in the Middle East] to widen”.

When asked whether the US’ support for Israel killing Hamas leadership on foreign soil and its deployment of strike groups to the Eastern Mediterranean to challenge Yemen’s Houthi rebels are causing an escalation, Kirby said: “I stand by my answer. No.”