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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken<\/strong> dodged repeated questions on Sunday about whether the U.S. was encouraging Israel to delay a possible ground invasion to allow for more time on diplomacy as troops and tanks prepare for a full-scale invasion into Gaza, even as over 200 people\u2014including 10 Americans\u2014are hostages.<\/p>\n Responding to questions from CBS News\u2019s Margaret Brennan<\/strong> and NBC News\u2019s Kristen Welker,<\/strong> Blinken focused<\/a> on \u201cthe slaughtering of men, women, children\u201d that occurred during Hamas\u2019s unprecedented attack on October 7, and reiterated his belief in Israel\u2019s \u201cobligation to defend itself.\u201d \u201cWe are not in the business of second-guessing what they\u2019re doing,\u201d he told Welker.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are decisions that Israel has to make,\u201d Blinken added. \u201cWe can give our best advice, our best judgment, again, about how they do it and also how best to achieve the results that they\u2019re seeking.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked Saturday whether he was encouraging Israel to delay an invasion, Biden responded<\/a>: \u201cI\u2019m talking to the Israelis.\u201d On Sunday, CNN reported<\/a> that the administration is pressing for a delay, but a senior Israeli official denied the reports. \u201cThe U.S. is not pressing Israel in regards to the ground operation,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n Blinken\u2019s interviews came two days after the U.S., with the help of Qatar, secured the freedom of two Israeli-Americans held captive by Hamas: Judith<\/strong> and Natalie Raanan<\/strong>. Blinken said he\u2019d spoken with both of them. \u201cWe are very appreciative of the assistance that we got from the Government of Qatar, to make sure that they could get out and now soon be reunited with their families,\u201d Blinken said. \u201cWe\u2019re hopeful that others follow.\u201d<\/p>\n In his Sunday interviews, Blinken also addressed the possibility of a broader war breaking out in the region, as Israeli strikes<\/a> have hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and airports in Syria. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/strong> said<\/a> that if Hezbollah, which supports Hamas, enters the conflict, it \u201cwill be making the biggest mistake of their lives. And we will hit them with an unimaginable force. It will mean devastation for them and the state of Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are concerned at the possibility of Iranian proxies escalating their attacks against our own personnel, our own people,\u201d Blinken said<\/a> to Brennan. \u201cWe\u2019re taking every measure to make sure that we can defend them and, if necessary, respond decisively.\u201d His comments echoed those of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin<\/strong>, who warned of a \u201csignificant escalation of attacks\u201d on U.S. troops or citizens.<\/p>\n \u201cIf any group or any country is looking to widen this conflict and take advantage of this very unfortunate situation… our advice is: don\u2019t,\u201d he said<\/a> Sunday on ABC\u2019s This Week.<\/p>\n Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian<\/strong> said<\/a> in a press conference Sunday that Israel\u2019s bombardment of Gaza could have \u201cfar-reaching consequences.\u201d \u201cI warn the U.S. and its proxy Israel that if they do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n