The US has ordered a submarine to the Middle East and expedited the deployment of a carrier strike group. This move underscores the country’s strategic response to rising regional tensions and aims to bolster its military presence and readiness in the area.
To augment their military presence in the Middle East, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has instructed a guided missile submarine and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to expedite their deployment.
On Sunday evening, Austin and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Galant spoke on the phone to arrange an order due to increasing tensions after senior Hamas and Iran-backed Hezbollah officials were killed.
According to a statement from the Pentagon, Austin emphasized that the US will do everything it can to protect Israel and highlighted an increase in American military strength and preparedness across the Middle East due to heightened tensions in the region.
According to a US military social media post, the deployment of USS Georgia – an uncommon occurrence for public announcement by the United States – had already taken place in July and she was situated within the Mediterranean Sea.
The ship Abraham Lincoln has voyaged to the Asia Pacific region and is now being directed towards the Middle East, where it will take over from USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group that’s due to start its journey back home.
Austin announced last week that the carrier, carrying F-35 and F/A-18 fighter jets, is anticipated to arrive in the region by month-end.
In an effort to bolster Israeli defenses against potential attacks from Iran, the US military announced its plan to dispatch more fighter aircraft and warships to the Middle East.
On July 31, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas – a group governing Gaza with Iran’s support – was killed in Tehran. While Iran accused Israel and pledged to take action against them, no official responsibility has been assumed by Israel.
Haniyeh’s assassination occurred during the week when Fuad Shukr, a top military leader of Hezbollah – an Iran-supported group- was also slain in an Israeli strike on Beirut. This event has raised fears about potential escalation of the Gaza conflict into a broader regional war.
Palestinian health authorities reported that at least 90 people were killed and nearly 50 injured in an Israeli attack on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza one day prior to the US announcement.
On Sunday, Hamas stated that instead of continuing to hold “more rounds of negotiations” and discussing new proposals for Gaza, the US, Qatar, and Egypt should submit a plan to execute the ceasefire proposal presented by President Joe Biden in May.
