Reports of Syria sending missiles to Hezbollah a concern: US

We have expressed our concerns to those governments and believe that steps should be taken to reduce any risk and any danger of anything from happening,he said,adding that these concerns have been relayed to the respective governments at the highest level.

“You heard the (US) President (Barack Obama) speak yesterday about Middle East peace,his desire to have this nation remain focused on that goal. The potential destabilising effect,the alarming effect that this has,we’ve expressed our great concern about that,” Gibbs said.

Obama had on Tuesday said the need for peace between Israelis and Palestinians and the Arab states remains as critical as ever.

“It is a very hard thing to do. I know that even if we are applying all of our political capital to that issue,the Israeli people through their government,and the Palestinian people through the Palestinian Authority,as well as other Arab states,may say to themselves,we are not prepared to resolve this — these issues — no matter how much pressure the US brings to bear,” he said.

“The truth is,in some of these conflicts the US can’t impose solutions unless the participants in these conflicts are willing to break out of old patterns of antagonism. I think it was former Secretary of State Jim Baker who said,in the context of Middle East peace,we can’t want it more than they do,” Obama said.

But what we can make sure of is that we are constantly present,constantly engaged,and setting out very clearly to both sides our belief that not only is it in the interests of each party to resolve these conflicts but it’s also in the US interest,he said.

“It is a vital national security interest of the US to reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not,we remain a dominant military superpower,and when conflicts break out,one way or another we get pulled into them. And that ends up costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure,” Obama said.