The US has deployed warships to the Middle East in response to escalating tensions in the region following the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday, referencing a Pentagon official, that destroyers have been deployed in both the Persian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean and that the US has shifted its warships from the Red Sea, where they are engaged in countering Houthi missile and drone assaults from Yemen, to provide support to Israel.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is already on station, along with amphibious assault teams.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on “all parties” to stop escalating actions, with the implication that the message was aimed at Israel after the deaths of Shukr and Haniyeh. When questioned about whether the US had provided Israel with a “blank check” for activities in the Middle East, Blinken stated, “The current path leads to increased conflict, violence, suffering, and insecurity. It is crucial to halt this cycle, starting with a cease-fire in Gaza.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday he did not think a wider war in the Middle East was inevitable and that the US was seeking to cool rising regional tensions but remained steadfast in its defence of Israel if attacked.
“I don’t think war is inevitable. I maintain that. I think there’s always room and opportunities for diplomacy,” Austin told reporters during a visit to the Philippines.
“What we have seen along the border, northern border, with Israel over time that’s been a concern of ours.”
“Again, We are going to give everything we can to make sure that we keep things from turning in to a broader conflict throughout the region.”
Top Iranian officials will meet the representatives of Iran’s regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen today to discuss potential retaliation against Israel after the killing of the Hamas leader in Tehran, five sources have told Reuters.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Israel is finalizing arrangements with allies for a regional coalition to help thwart any attacks that may be launched by Iran or its proxies.
It names the US, UK, Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan as ready to help intercept missiles and drones should they be fired — in what is essentially the same coalition that almost completely thwarted Iran’s April 13-14 drone and missile attack on Israel.
