US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East, the Pentagon said. The region is bracing for possible attacks by Iran and its allies after the assassination of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Although the USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine, was already in the Mediterranean in July, according to a US military post on social media, it was an atypical move to publicly announce the location of a submarine.
In a statement following Austin's conversation with his Israeli counterpart, the Pentagon said Austin had ordered the Abraham Lincoln Task Force to accelerate its deployment to the region.
"Secretary Austin reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to take all possible steps to protect Israel and noted the strengthening of the posture and capabilities of American military forces throughout the Middle East in light of escalating tensions in the region," the statement added.
The US military has already said it will send additional fighter jets and warships to the Middle East, where Washington is trying to bolster Israel's defences.
Ismail Haniya, the political leader of Iran-backed Hamas, was killed in the Iranian capital Tehran on July 31, an attack that prompted threats of retaliation by Iran against Israel, which is fighting the Palestinian Islamist group in Gaza. Iran blamed Israel for the assassination. Israel has not claimed responsibility. | BGNES
