CIA CHIEF: ‘NOT HONESTLY CERTAIN’ MEDIATORS WILL SUCCEED ON GAZA CEASEFIRE

Thu 18 April 2024:

William Burns, head of the US foreign intelligence agency, spoke during an event at the George W Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.

He touched on the war in Gaza and wider Middle East tensions, saying he has “rarely seen a moment [more] combustible than it is today”.

He described the situation in the Middle East as “a terrible crisis in Gaza, provoked by Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel on the 7th of October, but now also producing a desperate humanitarian situation for innocent civilians in Gaza right now. And then more recently, as we saw last Saturday night, we had a massive Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel.”

On a potential escalation of military action between Iran and Israel, Burns said: “I think the broad hope for the president and policymakers in the administration is they will all find a way to de-escalate this situation, especially at a moment when … the Israelis have demonstrated so clearly their superiority, and the Iranian effort last Saturday night was a pretty significant failure as well.”

On a potential end to the war on Gaza and the humanitarian situation there, Burns said it is necessary to have “at least a short-term or the beginnings of a longer-term ceasefire that enable you to distribute those goods to people who so desperately need them as well. So we’ll keep working hard at this. As I said, I cannot honestly say I’m certain that we’re going to succeed.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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