Blinken: United States 'determined to deter any escalation' in Mideast

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday he would work to avoid escalation of the Israel-Hamas war after Yemen's Huthi rebels and Lebanon's Hezbollah, both backed by Iran, fired on Israel.

"We've been very clear in some of the actions we're taking that we are determined to deter any escalation," Blinken told reporters as he left on a new crisis trip to the Middle East.

Russia 'significant step in wrong direction' on nuclear ban

Blinken criticized Russia for leaving the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and called on Moscow to commit not to test.

"Unfortunately, it represents a significant step in the wrong direction, taking us further from, not closer to, entry into force" of the treaty, Blinken said in a statement.

The United States, unlike Russia, has never ratified the treaty, a key obstacle for it coming into force.