The Pentagon announced on Friday (August 2) that the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has informed Israel of adjustments to the deployment of US forces in the Middle East, in response to threats of retaliation against Israel by Iran and its allies Hamas and Hezbollah.
According to Reuters, the Pentagon stated that Austin has not yet made a final decision on which forces to deploy, but defense officials have indicated that various options are being considered, including deploying aircraft and warships.
This decision by the Pentagon comes as the US is preparing to respond to threats from Iran, following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran two days ago. The incident occurred while Israel was still engaged in fierce battles with Hamas in Gaza, with both Iran and Hamas accusing Israel of orchestrating the event and vowing to retaliate.
Israel has neither claimed responsibility for the death nor denied it.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters after Austin’s call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, “Austin briefed the minister on additional measures, including steps the Defense Department will take to support Israel’s defense posture changes for current and future defensive force conditions.”
She also added that Austin made the commitment to Gallant and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, “We will enhance our military protection in the region.”
It remains unclear whether the US’s preparations are as flawless as they were before April 13, when Iran used around 300 missiles and drones to attack Israel. With the assistance of the US and other allies, Israel successfully intercepted almost all of these missiles and drones.
The White House stated that President Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Thursday, discussing the new US defensive military deployments to support Israel in facing threats such as missile and drone attacks.
Singh noted that the US does not want to see the Middle East conflict escalate to a wider scope and believes that an escalation is not inevitable.
She said, “I think we are delivering our message very directly, that we certainly don’t want to see tensions escalate, and we do believe there is a way out, which is that ceasefire agreement.”