The US is sending a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and accelerating the arrival of an aircraft carrier strike group, as Israel prepares for retaliatory strikes from Iran and its proxies following the assassination of senior Hamas members and Hezbollah.
The Pentagon confirmed Sunday night that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the guided missile submarine USS Georgia to the region. He further ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which is equipped with F-35C fighter jets, to accelerate its ongoing transit to the area.
The orders, and the rare step to publicly announce the deployment of a submarine, came as Austin reaffirmed Washington’s “commitment to take all possible steps to defend” its ally in a call with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, of according to a Pentagon reading. .
Gallant “detailed the IDF’s readiness and capabilities in the face of threats posed by Iran and its regional proxies, and discussed interoperability with the wide range of U.S. military capabilities deployed in the region,” his office said.
The measures came amid growing fears that Iran may soon respond to the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran last month after attending Iranian President Masoud’s inauguration ceremony. Pezeshkian.
Both Iran and Hamas blamed Israel for the murder, and although Israel has remained silent on the matter, it is believed to have committed the murder.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised “severe punishment” for the murder, after which Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, was named the group’s political leader.
But it remains unclear exactly how Iran plans to retaliate.
Reports that the country’s Revolutionary Guard began military exercises last week have fueled fears of a response that the US and its allies fear could spark a wider regional conflict.
The Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah also promised retaliation for the killing of senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, hours before Haniyeh’s killing.
As tensions continue to rise, the U.S. has increased pressure on Israel and Hamas to secure a ceasefire and hostage release agreement that would end Israel’s deadly offensive in Gaza, where local authorities say it is encircling More than 40,000 people have been killed in the months since Hamas launched its attacks against Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage.
Britain, France and Germany on Monday called on Iran and its allies to refrain from retaliation to avoid a further escalation of tensions and potentially dangerous efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.
In a joint statement, the three countries said that Iran and its representatives would “take responsibility for actions that jeopardize the opportunity for peace and stability.”
The trio endorsed the latest push for a deal by the US and other mediators, their intervention coming after Hamas appeared to back down against the resumption of talks later this week.
Several countries, including the United Kingdom, have asked airlines to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace in recent days due to fears of an attack, while Western nations have also urged their citizens to abandon parts of the region.
Israel faced new scrutiny after launching a deadly attack on a school in Gaza City where displaced civilians were sheltering, killing at least 100 people and injuring dozens of others on Saturday morning, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.
The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted a Hamas command center embedded in the school complex and that “several measures were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians.” NBC News was unable to independently verify whether there was a command center at the school.
The White House said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” about the attack, noting that it has “repeatedly and consistently” warned that Israel must take steps to minimize harm to civilians.
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