The move comes amid concerns over Iran’s response following the assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a guided missile submarine for the Middle East and the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area.
The order on Sunday night followed a phone call between Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant amid rising tensions following the assassination of senior members of Hamas and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Austin “reiterated the United States’ commitment to taking all possible steps to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of the posture and capabilities of U.S. military forces across the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions,” the Pentagon said in a statement. .
The USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine, was already in the Mediterranean Sea in July, according to a US military post on social media, but it is rare for the US to publicly announce the deployment of a submarine.
The Abraham Lincoln was in the Asia-Pacific and had already been sent to the Middle East to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which is scheduled to begin returning home.
Last week, Austin said he hoped to reach the area by the end of the month. The carrier has F-35 and F/A-18 fighters on board.
The US military has previously said it would send additional fighter planes and warships to the Middle East as Washington seeks to bolster Israeli defenses against a possible attack from Iran.
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, the group that governs Gaza and is supported by Iran, was assassinated in Tehran on July 31, with Iran blaming Israel and promising to retaliate. Israel did not take responsibility.
Haniyeh’s assassination came in the same week that Fuad Shukr, the top military commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, was killed in an Israeli attack on Beirut, raising concerns that the conflict in Gaza could expand into a regional war.
The US announcement came a day after at least 90 people were killed and nearly 50 injured in an Israeli attack on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza, Palestinian health officials said.
The Pentagon added that Austin and Gallant also discussed “the importance of mitigating civilian harm, progress toward securing a ceasefire, and the release of hostages held in Gaza.”
Nearly 40,000 people have been killed since Israel began the war in Gaza last October, after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. An estimated 1,139 people were killed during the attack on Israel, with more than 200 people taken prisoner by Hamas.
Washington and other allies have renewed efforts for a ceasefire.
Hamas said on Sunday that the US, Qatar and Egypt should present a plan to implement the ceasefire proposal put forward in May by US President Joe Biden, rather than holding “more rounds of negotiations” and discussing new ones. proposals for Gaza.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
