US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that diplomacy has halted regional escalation since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, including after unprecedented open clashes between Iran and Israel earlier this month.

“We did come very close to an escalation or spread of the conflict, and I think because of very focused, very determined efforts, we’ve been able to avoid it,” Blinken told a World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh.