The move comes amid concerns of Iran\u2019s response following the killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders
\nNews Agency
\nWashington
\nUnited States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area.
\nThe order on Sunday evening followed a telephone call between Austin and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Galant amid mounting tensions following the killing of senior members of Hamas and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
\nAustin \u201creiterated the United States\u2019 commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of U.S. military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions\u201d, the Pentagon said in a statement.
\nThe USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine, was already in the Mediterranean Sea in July, according to a US military post on social media, but it is rare for the US to publicly announce the deployment of a submarine.
\nThe Abraham Lincoln has been in the Asia Pacific, and had already been ordered to the Middle East to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which is scheduled to begin heading home.
\nLast week, Austin said it was expected to arrive in the area by the end of the month. The carrier has F-35 and F\/A-18 fighter jets on board.
\nThe US military had already said it will deploy additional fighter aircraft and warships to the Middle East as Washington seeks to reinforce Israeli defences from possible attack by Iran.
\nIsmail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, the group that rules Gaza and is backed by Iran, was assassinated in Tehran on July 31, with Iran blaming Israel and promising to retaliate. Israel has not claimed responsibility.
\nThe killing of Haniyeh came in the same week that Fuad Shukr, the senior military commander of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli attack on Beirut, leading to concerns that the conflict in Gaza might expand into a regional war.
\nThe US announcement came a day after at least 90 people were killed and nearly 50 injured in an Israeli attack on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities said.
\nThe Pentagon added that Austin and Gallant had also discussed \u201cthe importance of mitigating civilian harm, progress towards securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza\u201d.
\nNearly 40,000 people have been killed since Israel began its war on Gaza last October after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. An estimated 1,139 people were killed during the attack on Israel with more than 200 people taken captive by Hamas.
\nWashington and other allies have renewed efforts for a ceasefire.
\nHamas on Sunday said the US, Qatar and Egypt should submit a plan to implement the ceasefire proposal put forward in May by US President Joe Biden, rather than holding \u201cmore rounds of negotiations\u201d and discussing new proposals for Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The move comes amid concerns of Iran\u2019s response following the killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders News Agency Washington United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. The order […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-424506","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n