This handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2019 (left).
Zachary Pearson | U.S. Navy Handout | Getty Images
The Pentagon said in a statement that the United States is sending more troops and military equipment to the Middle East as it seeks to increase the resources available “to defend Israel.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to take all possible measures to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of U.S. military forces and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of rising regional tensions,” a Pentagon statement said Sunday. News said Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, secretary.
This includes sending a missile submarine to the region and expediting the transit of an aircraft carrier strike group equipped with F-35C fighter jets.
The statement came after a phone call Sunday between Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yov Galant. On July 31, the former political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran, and the Iranian leadership vowed to retaliate against Israel.
Iran, which supports Hamas, said Israel carried out the assassination. Israel has yet to comment on the matter.
Tehran has yet to respond militarily to the move, leaving its opponents and the wider region on tenterhooks.
