The US will deploy additional fighter jets and warships to the Middle East

WASHINGTON:

The US military will deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Friday, as Washington seeks to bolster defenses following threats from Iran and its allies Hamas and Hezbollah.

The US is preparing for Iran to make good on its promise to respond to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh two days ago in Tehran – one in a series of assassinations of senior figures from the Palestinian group as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza rages .

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had approved sending additional Navy cruisers and destroyers — capable of shooting down ballistic missiles — to the Middle East and Europe.

It is also sending an additional squadron of fighter jets to the Middle East.

“Austin ordered adjustments to the posture of the U.S. military designed to improve the protection of U.S. forces, increase support for Israel’s defense and ensure the United States is ready to respond to a variety of contingencies,” it said in a statement. of the Pentagon.

There has been speculation that the Pentagon may not replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier in the Middle East once it completes its ongoing deployment. But Austin decided to rotate to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to replace her.

The Pentagon statement added that it would increase readiness to deploy more land-based ballistic missiles.

The US military also stepped up deployments before April 13, when Iran launched an attack on Israeli soil with drones and missiles. However, the threat posed by Hezbollah in Lebanon could pose unique challenges to any efforts by the United States to intercept drones and missiles, given the group’s vast arsenal and close proximity to Israel.

At the time, Israel successfully shot down almost all of the roughly 300 drones and missiles with the help of the United States and other allies.

Biden, in a phone call Thursday with Netanyahu, discussed new US defense military deployments to support Israel against threats such as missiles and drones, the White House said.

Iran and Hamas have both accused Israel of carrying out the assassination and have vowed to retaliate against their enemy. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the death or denied it.

Haniyeh’s death was one in a series of assassinations of senior Hamas figures as the Gaza war between Hamas and Israel approaches its 11th month and concerns grow that the conflict is spreading across the Middle East.

Earlier, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said the US did not believe the escalation was inevitable.

“I think we’re very direct in our messaging that we certainly don’t want to see heightened tensions and we think there’s an off-ramp here and that’s this ceasefire agreement,” Singh said.

An Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo in the coming days for negotiations on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday.