US says strikes on Tehran, Beirut 'don't help' tensions

"These reports over the last 24, 48 hours certainly don't help with the temperature going down," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about the attacks. "We're obviously concerned about escalation." Kirby downplayed the risk of an immediate descent into the all-out war that the region has feared since Hamas's October 7 attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. "We don't really think that an escalation is inevitable and there's no signs that an escalation is imminent," he said.