In response to potential threats from Iran and its associates in Yemen, the Gaza Strip, and Lebanon against Israel, US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, commanded the deployment of additional combat aircraft and warships armed with missiles to the Middle East on Friday, as announced by the Pentagon. This comes after Ismail Haniyeh, a key figure in Iran, was fatally struck by a short-range projectile in Tehran, sparking promises of fierce retribution from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The assassination of Haniyeh has incited worries about a potential direct clash between Israel and Tehran, fueling the already precarious situation in the Middle East as tension escalates in Gaza and Lebanon. The Revolutionary Guards declared that retaliation would be severe, opportunely timed and executed, holding Israel, their sworn adversary, responsible for Haniyeh’s death, even though Israel has not officially acknowledged any involvement.
The US armed forces have pledged to mobilise an extra squadron of F-22 fighter jets from the Air Force and further unidentified quantities of navy destroyers and cruisers, equipped to intercept ballistic missiles to the Middle East. There are also plans to deploy additional land-based ballistic-missile defence systems if necessary.
To ensure continuous presence, Austin has instructed aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln to replace aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the upcoming weeks as the latter is due for return. Additionally, existing ships in the western Mediterranean Sea are scheduled to move eastwards, nearer to Israel’s coastline, to enhance protection, according to top Pentagon officials.
Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary of the Pentagon, revealed that Secretary Austin has instructed changes to the stance of the US military. These alterations are expected to enhance US force safeguarding, augment support to Israel’s defence, and ensure readiness of the US to handle diverse situations. The communication did not reveal exactly when the extra warplanes and combat vessels would join the operations. But officials indicated that the supplementary aircraft will be there within days, with naval reinforcements taking a bit longer.
Officials are attempting to balance the US response – quickly deploying appropriate aircraft and ships to support Israel without seemingly intensifying the conflict.
During a press meet on Friday, Singh voiced the potential of the US deploying extra troops to manage any added capabilities sent to the region by the Pentagon. This support, she clarified, would be chiefly defensive.
Following a telephonic conversation on Friday morning between Mr Austin and his Israeli equivalent, Yoav Gallant, Austin gave an assurance of US assistance to Israel in its defence initiatives. Singh stated that there would be an upgrade in the region’s force protection.
The Pentagon is also preparing for a potential retaliatory attack on US troops in the region by Iran-backed groups, such as the Houthis in Yemen and Hizbullah in Lebanon. This is anticipated after the assassination of Mr Haniyeh earlier this week.
– Reuters, The New York Times
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