Blinken condemns Hamas' surprise attack on Israel

Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed the U.S.'s "full support" for Israel in response to the ongoing attacks by Hamas, condemning the militant group's brutal assault on Israeli civilians. Blinken stated that the world should be revolted by the violence and pledged to engage allies in the region to prevent the conflict from spreading further. The surprise large-scale attack by Hamas has resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides. Israel's security cabinet has declared war for the first time since 1973, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to "destroy Hamas." The U.S. is standing behind Israel and working to verify reports of Americans affected by the conflict. Critics have accused the Biden administration of enabling the attack by facilitating Iran's access to sanctioned finances, but Blinken stated that there is no direct evidence linking Iran to this specific attack.