US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy about the conflict in Gaza Strip and the tensions in the Middle East. "Secretary Blinken and Foreign Secretary Lammy reaffirmed the need to deescalate rising tensions in the Middle East and prevent the conflict from spreading," State Dept. Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a press release on Saturday. "They stressed the importance of finalizing the ceasefire and hostage release deal under negotiation as soon as possible," Miller added. Tensions have gone high in the Middle East in the last few days since the Israeli occupation forces assassinated Fuad Shukr - a high-profile commander in the Lebanese Hezbollah group, and Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, in Tehran. Source: Kuwait News Agency