The US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, has commanded the dispatch of a missile-guided submarine to the Middle East as the area anticipates potential assaults from Iran and associated forces following the assassination of leading members of Hamas and Hizbullah.
In an unusual step, the U.S publicised the submarine’s deployment, although the USS Georgia, a nuclear-equipped submarine, had already been stationed in the Mediterranean Sea since July.
The Pentagon released a statement after Mr Austin’s conversation with his Israeli equivalent stating his order to hasten the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln strike group to the afflicted region. The statement affirmed the US’s pledge to do everything feasible to safeguard Israel and underlined the amplification of US military presence and capability across the Middle East, given the rising regional strain.
The US has publicly announced the bolstering of forces in the Middle East as a response to increasing tension between Israel and Iran, following a submarine’s deployment.
Moreover, the US military has committed to positioning more fighter jets and warships in the Middle East as part of efforts to strengthen Israel’s defence system.
Top US representatives, Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, and William Burns, the CIA director, are anticipated to arrive in the Middle East shortly. This is part of Washington’s thorough diplomatic efforts to cease the ongoing violence in Gaza, while also seeking to stop a full-blown confrontation between Israel, Iran, and Hizbullah.
When discussions recommence on Thursday, the US, Qatar, and Egypt as mediators plan to apply the utmost pressure on both sides to reach an agreement. This is in the hope that an accord will also lessen tensions on the northern front.
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Iran-aligned Hamas, was killed in Tehran, Iran’s capital, on 31st July. This assassination provoked Iran into threatening Israel with vengeance. The killing has been blamed on Israel, which is presently engaged in conflict with the Palestinian group in Gaza. Israel has not accepted responsibility.
The latest act of aggression by Israel, resulting in the death of Hizbullah’s senior military figurehead, Fuad Shukr, during an attack on Beirut, has escalated fears that the Gaza conflict might potentially evolve into a broader Middle East war. Iran has held the US accountable for the death of Haniyeh, citing US solidarity with Israel as the reason.
In related developments, a drone attack carried out on Friday in Syria had a significant impact on US and coalition troops, marking it as the second major attack impacting US forces in a short span of time. This incident exacerbates the existing high-strung situation in the region, according to Reuters.
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