According to CNN, the US is deploying an aircraft carrier strike group, a squadron of fighter jets, and many other warships to the Middle East. This is the largest military deployment of the US since the conflict in the Gaza Strip broke out.
“We heard the Iranian supreme leader clearly say that he intends to avenge the assassination of the Hamas leader in Tehran, they want to carry out another attack on Israel. The US cannot rule out the possibility that it will also be the victim of an attack, so it needs to ensure that there are enough resources and capabilities in the region,” said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
Specifically, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf of Oman to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group. Destroyers and cruisers with ballistic missile interceptor weapons are also deployed to the Middle East and the Mediterranean, along with a squadron of fighter jets. In addition, the Pentagon has announced that it is preparing to add land-based defense systems.
In recent weeks, the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group has been present in the Gulf of Oman, always ready to move to the Gulf of Aden or the Red Sea. In the Mediterranean, the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and several other ships are stationed. A Marine unit is always ready to carry out the mission of evacuating US citizens from Lebanon if necessary.
USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier – Photo: CNN
On July 31, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran. Hamas claimed that this figure and his bodyguard were killed in a raid carried out by Israel. Not long before that, Israel airstrikes the Lebanese capital Beirut, killing senior Hezbollah commander Fu’ad Shukr. Iran and armed groups in the region are determined to respond strongly.
On the evening of August 1, Hezbollah launched dozens of Katyusha rockets into the Galilee region of northern Israel. There are currently no recorded casualties. The Israeli military said it immediately struck and destroyed the launch pad used by Hezbollah.
Iran is under pressure to respond to an attack on its own territory. In January, Israel struck an Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria, prompting Tehran to respond with more than 300 missiles fired directly at Israel. In response, the US assisted its ally Israel, successfully intercepting many of the Iranian missiles.
