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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a remote-controlled missile submarine to the Middle East, the Pentagon announced Sunday.
Concerns in the Middle East about possible attacks by Iran and its allies have intensified following the killings of senior leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas, Palestinian groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United States and the European Union.
In a press release following Austin’s conversation with his Israeli counterpart, the Pentagon said Austin also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln to accelerate its deployment in the region.
“Secretary Austin reiterated the U.S. commitment to take all measures to protect Israel and stressed the need to strengthen the U.S. military presence and weapons in the Middle East following the escalation of tensions in the region,” the statement said.
Earlier, the US military announced that it would send additional fighter jets and warships to the Middle East to strengthen Israel’s defense.
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on July 31 in an attack that prompted Iran to threaten retaliation against Israel. Iran accused Israel of his murder. Israel did not claim responsibility, but did not deny it either.
The killings of Haniyeh and Fokker Shoukr, a top commander of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, have raised concerns that the conflict in Gaza could spiral into a wider war in the Middle East.
Iran says the United States is responsible for Haniyeh’s killing because of its support for Israel.
Meanwhile, three U.S. officials told Reuters on August 5 that a U.S. military base in Iraq was attacked, leaving several American personnel injured. /REL
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