US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an immediate halt to "escalatory actions" on Thursday and urged all parties in the Middle East to work towards a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. 

Blinken's call for de-escalation follows heightened tensions in the region, exacerbated by the ongoing Israeli Occupation aggression in Gaza and hostilities with Hezbollah. 

The situation has been further strained by the recent killing of Hezbollah’s military leader, Fuad Shukr, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Tuesday, as well as the assassination of Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.

Blinken warned that the Middle East is at risk of descending into "more conflicts, violence, suffering, and insecurity." 

He emphasized that breaking this cycle requires a "ceasefire that we are actively working to achieve" and stressed that all parties must cease escalating actions and engage in meaningful negotiations.

Blinken did not address the specifics of Haniyeh's assassination in his comments, as he had done previously in Singapore. 

He also refrained from speculating on how the event might impact the ongoing ceasefire negotiations, which are being mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar.

Despite this, Blinken underscored the critical importance of "all parties making the right decisions in the coming days."