U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on all Middle Eastern parties Thursday to halt "escalatory actions" and work toward a cease-fire in Gaza, following the killing of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran, an attack Iran attributes to Israel.

The death of Ismail Haniyeh occurred just hours after Israel announced it had killed a top Hezbollah commander in a retaliatory strike on Beirut.

These incidents come amid already heightened regional tensions due to the ongoing Gaza conflict, which has involved Iran-backed groups across Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.

Israel has declined to comment on the Tehran strike.

Speaking in the Mongolian capital, Blinken warned that the Middle East was on a path "toward more conflict, more violence, more suffering, more insecurity, and it is crucial that we break this cycle."

"That starts with a cease-fire that we've been working on," Blinken told reporters alongside his local counterpart.

"And to get there, it also first requires all parties to talk, to stop taking any escalatory actions, and to find reasons to come to an agreement," he said.

As he did Wednesday in Singapore, Blinken did not comment directly on the death of the Palestinian group leader.

He also declined to speculate on the impact that Haniyeh’s killing might have on a potential cease-fire in Gaza, which the United States has been leading efforts on along with Egypt and Qatar.