StateDept: No Sign Of "Full-Blown Conflagration" Despite Mid-East Flareups

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller has told reporters that the US assesses positively that the conflict between Israel and Hamas remains unlikely to expand into a broader regional war, despite numerous cross-border flashpoints, including most recently an Iranian missile and drone strike on targets in Balochistan, Pakistan.

• Miller: "We have seen kinetic activity since October 7... What we have not see yet, and what we have worked to deter, and what was a primary objective of Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken's trip last week, was to prevent the region from tipping into a full-blown conflagration. And so far that effort has been successful but its something we continue to work on all the time because... the risk very much remains high..."
• Miller says, on the prospect of the re-application of the Houthi terror designation bringing the US closer to conflict with Iran: "We continue to deliver a message very loud and clear [to Iran] … that we do not want to see the conflict escalated and we do not believe they should want to see the conflict escalated but also... we will defend US personnel and interests and that won't change."