CIA Director Bill Burns warned on Monday that the current conflict between Israel and its neighbors could spread to a wider war, even if neither side wants that to happen.
Addressing the annual Cipher Brief threat conference in Sea Island, Georgia, Burns stated: "We face the very real danger of a further regional escalation of conflict."
He noted that Israel's leadership was "weighing very carefully" how it would respond to Iran's massive missile attack last week. However, he warned that "misjudgments" could still inadvertently lead to a major escalation.
"The Middle East is a place where complicated stuff happens all the time," Burns said.
Regarding Iran's nuclear program, the Director said: "We do not see evidence today that the Supreme Leader has reversed the decision that he took at the end of 2003 to suspend the weaponization program." This said, he admitted that Iran was in a "much closer position" to create a single bomb's worth of weapons-grade material, with a breakout time now at "a week or a little more."
Addressing a hostage and ceasefire deal, the negotiations for which have stopped in recent weeks, Burns said that "we've come close at least a couple of times, but it's been very elusive."
He emphasized that "What's at stake in Gaza is shaped by political will. In the end, it's not just about brackets in texts or creative formulas when you're trying to negotiate a hostage and ceasefire deal. It's about leaders who ultimately have to recognize that enough is enough, that perfect is rarely on the menu, especially in the Middle East."
He added: "And then you've got to go make hard choices and some compromises in the interest of a longer-term strategic stability as well."