The US is sending a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East and accelerating the arrival of an aircraft carrier strike group, as Israel prepares for retaliatory strikes from Iran and its allies following the killing of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Pentagon confirmed Sunday night that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the USS Georgia guided-missile submarine to the region. He also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C fighter jets, to speed up its passage to the area.
The orders, and the rare step of publicly announcing the submarine deployment, came as Austin, in a conversation with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, reaffirmed Washington's “commitment to take all possible steps to defend” its ally, a Pentagon message said.
Gallant “detailed the IDF's readiness and capabilities in light of the threats posed by Iran and its regional allies, and discussed interoperability with the broad range of U.S. military capabilities deployed in the region,” his office said.
These steps come amid growing fears that Iran will soon respond to the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran last month after attending the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Both Iran and Hamas blamed Israel for the assassination. Although Israel has remained silent, it is widely believed to have carried out the assassination.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe punishment” for the killing, after which Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind behind Hamas' October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, was appointed the group's political leader.
But it is still unclear exactly how Iran plans to retaliate.
Reports that the country's Revolutionary Guards began military exercises last week fueled fears that the response could spark a wider regional conflict.
The Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah also vowed retaliation for the killing of senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, hours before Haniyeh's killing.
As tensions continue to rise, the US has increased pressure on Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire and hostage release agreement that would end Israel’s deadly offensive in Gaza, where local officials say some 40,000 people have been killed in the months since Hamas began its attacks on Israel, killing some 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages.
Britain, France and Germany on Monday called on Iran and its allies to refrain from retaliatory measures to avoid further escalating tensions and jeopardizing efforts to reach a ceasefire.
In a joint statement, the three countries said Iran and its allies would “bear responsibility for actions that endanger the prospects for peace and stability.”
The trio supported the latest attempt by the US and other mediators to reach a deal, but their intervention came after Hamas appeared to oppose a resumption of talks later this week.
A number of countries, including the United Kingdom, have asked airlines in recent days to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace over fears of an attack. Western countries have also urged their citizens to leave parts of the region.
Israel is under renewed fire after it carried out a deadly attack on a school in Gaza City where displaced civilians were seeking shelter on Saturday morning, killing at least 100 people and wounding dozens more, according to Gaza's civil protection agency.
The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas command post on the school grounds and that “numerous measures have been taken to minimize the risk of harm to civilians.” NBC News could not independently verify whether there was a command post at the school.
The White House said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” by the attack and that it has “repeatedly and consistently” warned that Israel must take steps to minimize harm to civilians.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
