All right, we are just getting word right now. In the past 24 hours, US Central Command forces successfully destroyed an Iranian-back Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle and two Iranian-back Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles launched from Houthi-controlled areas, presumably in Yemen, over the Red Sea. We don't know much more than that. Of course, we've been looking for these various Iranian proxies, response to Israeli attacks and taking out a key top Hezbollah and Hamas Hamas officials, in the case of the Hamas official in Tehran itself. Let's get the read on where all of this is going with Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesperson, kind enough to join us. Mr. Miller, thank you. What are we to make of this in the fact that maybe the response won't be centralized just out of Iran, but it's various proxies all over the region.

One of the things that we have seen really since October seventh is Iran and its proxies continuing to take various terrorist actions against the state of Israel and against the people of Israel. It's something that we have defended, helped defend Israel against. At times, we, of course, have taken our own actions against proxy groups who have targeted American forces. Really, since October seventh, we have made it one of our prime diplomatic purposes to really try to prevent this conflict from escalating. On every one of Secretary Blinken's eight trips to the region, he has focused on pushing for de-escalation, pushing for steps to calm tensions. Obviously, that has been what he has been working on with the President and what other members of the administration have been working on for the past few days, trying to send very strong messages to Iran that they should not escalate this conflict, that their proxies should not escalate this conflict. And of course, as we have always made clear, we will defend Israel against terrorism. We will defend Israel against attacks, and we are urging all parties in the region to take any steps that they can to de-escalate so this conflict doesn't spin out of control.

Is it escalation to you, though, sir, when we see US troops who are shot at in Iraq attack as Israel braces for this retaliation, that that might be the extent of it there, that Hezbel and Israeli forces were recently exchanging gunfire in the new Galilee region, the Northwest Galilee region, I should say, of Israel, and Hezbel are firing a series of drones itself, back and forth between between Israel and Lebanon. I'm just wondering, is it your sense that everyone waiting for a big central attack out of Iran? This is what it's going to be.

Let me say, first of all, when it comes to attacks on US forces, US interests, US personnel, we have always made clear we will defend our troops in the region, we will defend our interests in the region, and we will hold parties accountable who threaten our personnel, and that continues to be the case. When it comes to some of these other attacks from prostry groups-Well, did you do that in the case...

I'm sorry, sir. Just to be clear, did you do that in the case of these US troops who were shot in Iraq? What was the response to that?

If you're talking about something that happened 24 hours ago, it's something that just happened, and we're never going to announce any actions that we take in advance. But I think if you look at our track record over the past nine months, as well as our track record throughout the three and a half years of this administration, we have made clear that we will defend our personnel and we will hold people accountable. And of course, we look to the government of Iraq to hold people accountable as well for that are taken on Iraqi soil. With respect to the attacks from Hezbollah. So obviously, there have been attacks from Hezbollah against Israel since October eighth. Obviously, there have been attacks before that. But with respect to this conflict, since the day after October seventh, Hezbollah started launching attacks in Israel, and we've seen Israel taking attacks against Hezbollah. We want to see those ultimately come to an end because there are tens of thousands of Israelis who can't return to their homes in Northern Israel. There are tens of thousands of Lebanese who can't return to their homes in Southern Lebanon. We have been pursuing diplomacy to try to end those attacks.

But of course, it's been very difficult to do that while the conflict in Gaza continues to rage on. That's been part of our strategy all along in pursuing a ceasefire is not just to get a ceasefire in Gaza, but also to stop those attacks across the blue line between Israel and Lebanon. Now, that said, the attacks that we've seen in the last few days have really been consistent with the attacks that we've seen since October seventh. They go up at times, they come down at times, but not at the level that, like I think you were asking about, like we are, like some have said, we could expect to see from Iran or Iran's proxy groups, all of which, as I said in response, I think, to your opening question, we are trying to prevent from happening, and that's been the purpose and the goal of our diplomacy over the past few days.

I take it from what you said, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but attack on US soldiers in Iraq over the past 24 hours. If it did indeed come from Iran, you would respond directly to Iran.

Look, I'm just never going to preview actions that the United States is going to take. As I said, when actions happen on Iraqi soil, we look first to the government of Iraq to take action and hold people accountable. Our troops are there at the invitation of the government of Iraq. But as we have shown in previous cases, we won't hesitate to defend our troops and take our own accountability measures, our own steps to hold terrorist groups accountable if we don't see appropriate actions from the government of Iraq.

I understand what you can't share, Matthew, but one of the other reports we hear is that the US was not given much of a heads up, if at all, in the case of some of these efforts on the part of Israel to take out a key Hezbollah leader and then a key Hamas leader, that there was a concern in Israel that that word would get out, that the trust or the relationship with the United States and Israel is such that you're on a need to know basis. And Israel sometimes seems to be saying you don't need to know, at least not that early. Is that true?

Well, it certainly is true that we weren't aware of these attacks. We weren't involved in these attacks. I will say when it comes to our relationship with the government of Israel, obviously, it's a very close working relationship. We share information with them. They share information with us, which is not to say that they agree with everything that we say and everything that we do, or that we agree with everything that they say and everything that they do. I don't think there's a country in the world where we have perfect 100% alignment on every issue. But when it comes to the working relationship with the government of Israel, I think what you've seen over the past nine months, more than nine months now since the October seventh attacks, is we strongly support Israel's right to defend itself. We strongly support Israel's right to ensure that October seventh never happens again. But we have been pushing all the parties in the region to take key steps to de-escalate the conflict and really not to keep it from spinning out of control. It is in our judgment, not in anybody's interest to see this conflict continue to escalate.

It's not in Israel's interest. It's not in the interests of the Palestinian people. It's not in the interests of anyone in the region that we see this conflict expand, that we see it widen. And so what we are trying to do is break this cycle of violence, break this cycle of conflict that continues to threaten the peace and the stability of everyone throughout the Middle East.

Of course, Israel wasn't the one who spread this conflict out with these terrorist attacks.

Absolutely. Which is why we have continued to support their right to hold Hamas accountable and to take the fight to Hamas and to bring Hamas fighters to justice.

All right. I was talking about Hezbollah as well. But thank you very much, Matthew Miller, State Department spokesperson. We look forward to having you back on the show.

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