US defense secretary announces increased deployment of warships, fighter jets to Middle East in support of Israel

Secretary Austin reaffirms ‘ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel’

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The United States government is deploying additional warships and fighter jets to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Iran and Israel, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced Tuesday.

Austin made the announcement at a press conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. This followed meetings with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles to discuss enhancing military cooperation and diplomatic efforts in the Asia Pacific.

The press conference came just as the Hamas terrorist organization announced it had chosen Yahya Sinwar to head the terror group’s political bureau following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last Wednesday.

Austin began his speech by mentioning the attack on U.S. troops in Iraq on Monday, which he said was launched by an “Iranian-backed Shia militia group.”

“Make no mistake, the United States will not tolerate attacks on our personnel in the region.”

He then turned to the broader situation in the Middle East, especially Iran's threats to attack Israel in retaliation for Haniyeh's death.

“We’ve adjusted our military posture to strengthen our force protection, to reinforce our ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to remain prepared to respond to any contingency,” Austin stated.

The US defense secretary said he “ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt later this month” as part of the U.S. effort to maintain a preventive presence.

“I’ve also ordered more cruisers and destroyers capable of ballistic missile defense to the region,” Austin noted. “And I’ve ordered the deployment of another fighter squadron to the Middle East to reinforce our defense air support capabilities there.”

While the specifics of Iran’s potential retaliatory strike against Israel remains unclear, officials in the U.S.-organized regional coalition reportedly are prepared to defend Israel. During Iran's attack in April Israel, the U.S., Great Britain and regional partners successfully intercepted and neutralized about 99% of the more than 300 Iranian ballistic missiles and drones that were fired toward Israel.

Austin’s specific mention of ballistic missiles could indicate the his belief that Iran will likely retaliate in a similar fashion.

“These posture adjustments add to our already broad range of capabilities in the region, and we remain ready to deploy on a short notice to meet evolving threats to our security, our partners, or our interests,” the U.S. defense secretary underscored.

Austin maintained that the U.S. continues to press for de-escalation and is still working to secure a hostage release in the ongoing negotiations.

“The United States remains intensely focused on deescalating tensions in the region,” Austin stated. “And we’re also focused on securing a ceasefire as a part of a hostage deal to bring all of the hostages home and to end the war in Gaza.”

There has been no notable progress on the hostage negotiations since the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, however, analysts believe that the choice of Sinwar to lead the terror group Hamas indicates a hardening of its position towards Israel.