Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered more troops, warships, and fighter jets to the Middle East and Europe to prepare for a multifaceted attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies. The Pentagon said Friday that the deployment also is intended to protect Americans in the region, Politico reports. Along with an additional squadron of fighter planes, USS Abraham Lincoln and its destroyer escorts are being moved from the Pacific to the Middle East.
Austin said steps also are being taken "to increase our readiness to deploy additional land-based ballistic missile defense," per NPR.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt and several other warships were in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, per the Washington Post, after being shifted from the Persian Gulf. That move positions them to head toward Israel by sailing west, around Yemen, for the Red Sea. Iran and Hezbollah have threatened to retaliate after the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and a senior Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr. President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call on Thursday that the US would "support Israel's defense against threats," per Politico.
Officials are concerned that Iran's response this time will be less predictable and manageable than the attack April 13 on Israel; that assault was signaled ahead of time, allowing more than 300 missiles and drones to be intercepted. US forces were involved in that defense. "The United States also remains intently focused on de-escalating tensions in the region and pushing for a cease-fire as part of a hostage deal to bring the hostages home and end the war in Gaza," the Pentagon said. (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)
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