With the support of Israel, the US is going to strengthen the defense system. To this end, warships and fighter jets are being sent to the Middle East and surrounding areas. Because both countries are prepared for a possible military attack by Iran.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed an order late Friday night. In it, he ordered the transfer of additional US equipment and capabilities to the Middle East and parts of Europe. Top Hezbollah commander killed in Lebanon last week; And the political leader of the Hamas terrorist group was killed on the soil of Iran. Following this, Iranian proxy groups based in Iran and the Middle East region vowed to retaliate. In view of this, Lloyd Austin gave this order.
US actions include sending the USS Abraham Lincoln, an attack-capable aircraft carrier, to the Middle East. And deploying navy cruisers and destroyers capable of shooting down ballistic missiles with this warship. Apart from this, the US is sending another squadron of fighter jets to the region. Besides, initiatives are being taken to allow the deployment of land-based missile defense systems.
The Pentagon did not say when these ships and aircraft will be deployed there. But in a statement Friday, the Pentagon said the move was “necessary to mitigate the risk of escalation of tensions in the region by Iran or Iran’s partners and proxy groups.”
The statement added that the goal of building more military capabilities in the region is to “enhance the security of the United States military, increase support for Israel’s defense system, and ensure U.S. readiness to respond to a variety of adverse situations.”
Austin pledged additional aid to Israel during a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant. A few hours after this phone call, new orders arrived.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said at the briefing, “The defense secretary reiterated Israel’s unwavering support for security. . . He (Lloyd Austin) informed the Israeli Defense Minister of the steps being taken by the United States to change the nature of the current and future defense forces. Sabrina Singh added that the US Defense Secretary said, “These are being done to help protect Israel.”
He said the Pentagon’s support for Israel since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack meant that “the future of Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups should be left unquestionably to the determination of the United States.”
Tensions in the region have risen significantly in the past week, after Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed top Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukur and assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was in Tehran to celebrate the inauguration of Iran’s president when he was killed.
Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for Haniyah’s death. However, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed Israel and called for retaliation. “It is our duty to take revenge,” he said in one post.
Iranian officials said Thursday they would meet with representatives of Iran’s main proxy groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and militias in Iraq and Syria. Iranian officials said the meeting was to plan their next steps.
“We are reviewing how Iran and the resistance groups will respond,” Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the head of Iran’s armed forces, told the country’s state television.
However, U.S. officials say Washington will never push Israel into a vulnerable situation to prevent tensions from escalating into a regional war.
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone on Thursday.
At the time, Biden briefed Netanyahu on “U.S. actions to help counter ballistic missile and drone threats, and a renewed increase in U.S. defensive military strength.”
In addition to additional ships and warplanes sent to the Middle East, the Pentagon has an amphibious team of US Marines deployed in the region. The US has about 4,000 troops in the region.