US Ready for ‘Whatever May Come’ From Possible Expansion of Israel Conflict - Official

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is prepared for any possible expansion of the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants, a senior administration official said.

"I think working to contain this conflict… has been an overriding priority of ours," the senior administration official said on Friday.

"I’ll just say that we are ready and prepared for whatever may come."

However, the US has taken a number of steps, including deterrence posture changes, in an effort to contain the conflict, the official added.

The unidentified official went on to note that any effort by the United States to free hostages held in Gaza would require a pause in fighting between both Israeli and Palestinian forces.

“The numbers we’re talking about are extremely difficult… it would take a very significant pause in the conflict, in the fighting, to be able to do this,” the senior administration official said on Friday. “It is something that is under very serious and active discussion.”

However, there are no guarantees or timeframe estimates for the hostage recovery efforts, the official said.

The exact number of hostages is unknown, although there may be more than 200 of them, the official said.

The Biden official further indicated that a speech delivered by Secretary General of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah matched the United States expectations.

“On Nasrallah’s speech… I think the speech, from what I understand, was basically kind of what I think we expected,” the senior administration official said on Friday. “I do not think it signaled the beginning of a northern front or anything like that.”

Nasrallah delivered a speech, in which he said that forces in Lebanon are ready for any changes to the situation with Israel, specifying that "all options are on the table on the Lebanese front" and that "preparations" have been made in regards to US Navy vessels threatening Hezbollah as well.

The political leader had stated that fighters had been engaged in the Palestine-Israel conflict since October 8, a day after Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel.