The United States will deploy additional warships and fighter jets to the Middle East to aid in the defense of Israel against potential attacks from Iran and its representatives, the Pentagon announced.
Tensions remain high in the region following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and a key commander of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Missile defense forces have been put on high alert, with the Pentagon emphasizing its “ironclad” commitment to defending Israel. Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei has vowed “severe punishment” against Israel for Haniyeh’s killing and declared three days of national mourning.
Haniyeh, 62, widely regarded as the overall leader of Hamas, played a crucial role in negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict. He was killed in Tehran on Wednesday. Iran and its representative in Gaza have blamed Israel for the attack.
Haniyeh’s death came just hours after Israel claimed to have killed Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander of Hezbollah, Iran’s representative in Lebanon.
In a statement, the Pentagon said that the deployments would “enhance the defense of US forces, increase support for Israel’s defense, and ensure that the US is prepared to respond to various scenarios.”
The US military had also intensified deployments prior to April 13, when Iran launched a drone and missile attack against Israel. Israel and its allies successfully intercepted nearly all of the approximately 300 drones and missiles fired.
Israel has not directly commented on the attack that killed Haniyeh.
Earlier, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the US did not believe an escalation was unavoidable.
An Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo in the coming days for negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and an agreement on the release of hostages, Netanyahu announced on Friday.
Hamas launched its war with an attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,200 deaths. Israel responded with a military operation, killing nearly 40,000 people.
