The Pentagon said the United States will deploy more warships and fighter jets to the Middle East to help protect Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies.
Tensions remain high in the region following the assassinations in Iran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and a key commander of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The Pentagon said missile defense forces were in a state of readiness for enhanced deployment, adding that its commitment to defending Israel was “ironclad.”
Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe punishment” for Israel’s assassination of Haniyeh and declared three days of national mourning.
The Hamas leader was killed in Tehran on Wednesday. Iran and its proxies in Gaza blamed Israel for the attack, but Israel has yet to comment.
Haniyeh, 62, is widely considered the overall leader of Hamas and played a key role in negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
Just hours before his death, Israel claimed to have killed Fouad Shukr, the top military commander of Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy in Lebanon.
A Pentagon statement said the new deployment would “improve the protection of U.S. forces…increase support for Israel’s defense and…ensure the United States is prepared to respond to a variety of contingencies.”
The deployment will include more cruisers and destroyers with ballistic missile defense capabilities, the report said.
Before Iran attacked Israel with drones and missiles on April 13, the US military also stepped up its deployment. Israel and its allies nearly shot down some 300 drones and missiles.
Israel has not commented directly on the attack that killed Haniyeh. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had delivered “devastating blows” to its enemies in recent days, including the killing of Shuker in Beirut.
He warned Israelis that “challenging days are ahead… We hear threats from all sides. We are prepared for any scenario”.
Earlier, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singer said the United States did not believe an escalation was inevitable.
“I think our message is very direct, we certainly don’t want to see tensions escalate and we do believe there is an exit here and that is a ceasefire,” Singh said.
Netanyahu said on Friday that an Israeli delegation would travel to Cairo in the coming days to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza and a deal to release hostages.
Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and triggering the war. Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza have killed nearly 40,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
