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President Biden will meet with his national security team in the Situation Room on Monday ahead of an expected Iranian attack on Israel.
The meeting came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III held talks with his Israeli counterpart on Sunday, reaffirming U.S. support for Israel as tensions escalate. Iran and its proxiesThe war in the Gaza Strip has widened after 10 months of fighting with Hamas militants in the region.
Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant discuss the changing posture of the U.S. military Ministry of National Defense According to the Pentagon, steps are being taken to increase protection for U.S. troops in the region, bolster Israel’s defense, and deter and de-escalate broader tensions in the region.
This map depicts U.S. naval assets stationed in the Middle East. (Fox News)
The meeting took place during the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Israel is already locked in a “multi-front war” with Iran and its proxies, the cabinet said at a meeting on Sunday.
Tensions in the region have reached an all-time high following the killing last week of a senior Lebanese Hezbollah commander and Iran’s top political leader of Hamas. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation. Hamas said it had begun discussions on choosing a new leader.
Israel prepares to strike Iran, warns regime on the verge of nuclear weapons: ‘Disturbing’
Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any scenario. Jordan’s foreign minister made a rare visit to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts – “We want the escalation to end,” said Ayman Safadi.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly told his counterparts on Sunday that Iran and Hezbollah could attack Israel as early as Monday. According to Axios.
Smoke rises after an attack on Lebanon’s Galilee region near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (Photo by Leo Correa/AP)
is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday to coordinate preparations for the expected attack, according to General Michael Eric Kurilla, commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) The Times of Israel.
A worker walked through the ruins as excavators cleared rubble from buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday evening. (AP/Hussein Malla)
In Israel, some prepared bomb shelters and recalled Iran’s unprecedented direct military assault in April after a suspected attack killed two Iranian generals. Israel said nearly all of its drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles had been intercepted.
“For years, Iran has provided weapons and funding to terrorist groups in the Middle East, including by smuggling explosives into Israel for use in terrorist attacks against civilians,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hajjar said in a statement. “The IDF and the Israel Security Agency have thwarted multiple attempts to smuggle claymore-style explosives into Israel. We are determined to continue to fight Iranian terrorism wherever it occurs.”
The Gaza war was sparked by a Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages. Israel’s brutal reprisals have left nearly 40,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Intense air strikes and ground operations have caused widespread destruction and displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people.
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Militant group Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire along Lebanon’s border since the start of the war, with the situation becoming increasingly intense in recent months, a move Hezbollah says is aimed at easing pressure on its Iran-backed ally Hamas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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