Officials have been on the lookout for retaliatory strikes from Iran and Hezbollah for the killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, and the U.S. has been beefing up its presence in the region.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin holds a joint news conference during the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations at the U.S. Naval Academy on August 6, 2024 in Annapolis, Md.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area, the Defense Department said Sunday.that could help calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier in the day, and reiterated America's commitment “to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of U.S. military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions.”
The Lincoln, which has been in the Asia Pacific, had already been ordered to the region to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which is scheduled to begin heading home from the Middle East. Last week, Austin said the Lincoln would arrive in the Central Command area by the end of the month.It wasn't clear Sunday what his latest order means, or how much more quickly the Lincoln will steam to the Middle East.
The call comes a day after an Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza early Saturday, killing at least 80 people and wounding nearly 50 others, Palestinian health authorities said, in one of the deadliest attacks of the 10-month TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
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