US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered more military assets to be deployed to the Middle East and elsewhere, a bid to increase support for Israel.
The Defense Department said on Friday that Austin had ordered adjustments to the US military posture to increase support for the defense of Israel and “to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies.”
The move comes two days after the assassination of top Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has blamed the killing on Israel and suggested his country will retaliate.
The changes include deployment of additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the US European Command and US Central Command regions.
An additional fighter squadron will be sent to the Middle East to reinforce the US military’s defense air support capability.
The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group will replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.
The Pentagon also said Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by phone on Friday. He reiterated ironclad US support for Israel’s security and informed Gallant of the additional measures.
Austin was also quoted as saying that further escalation is not inevitable and that all countries in the region would benefit from a de-escalation in tensions.