US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in a phone call that the escalation of tensions in the Middle East was “in no party’s interest” while also stressing the need for a Gaza ceasefire, Reuters quotes the State Department as saying.

“The Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and discussed how escalation is in no party’s interest,” the State Department said in a statement.

Blinken stressed the “urgent need to reach a ceasefire in Gaza” that could release hostages held in the enclave and “create the conditions for broader regional stability”, the State Department added.

A day earlier, Gallant spoke to US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin about the situation in the region.