Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft strike group to accelerate its travel to the region amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, the Defense Department announced Sunday.
The decision comes as the United States and allies fear an escalation in the region following the apparent assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut earlier this month.
Iran has reiterated its intention to punish Israel for the death of Haniyeh, which Israel has yet to take responsibility for, and officials are anticipating Iranian retaliatory strikes any day.
The assassination of Iran-aligned militant leaders came more than three months after Iran directly fired at Israel with hundreds of missiles and drones in an unprecedented attack, that time in retaliation for an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria.
Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday, during which he “reiterated the United States’ commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
Austin noted the rising tensions in the region has prompted the U.S. to strengthen its military posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East. The two also discussed their joint efforts to “deter aggression” by Iran, Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies in the region, Ryder said.
The USS Lincoln has been stationed in the Asia Pacific and was already ordered to the region to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which is expected to start heading home from the Middle East, The Associated Press reported. Austin said last week the Lincoln would arrive in the Central Command by the end of this month, the AP added.
The Lincoln is carrying F-35 fighter jets, along with the F/A-18 fighter aircraft, per the AP.
The guided missile submarine, the USS Georgia, was also ordered to the Middle East, though it was not immediately clear when it will arrive in the Central Command region.
Austin and Gallant also discussed Israel’s wartime campaign in Gaza and the “importance of mitigating civilian harm,” Ryder said Sunday, along with the progress toward a cease-fire and hostage release deal.
President Biden on Sunday said a cease-fire deal is “still viable,” though Hamas said it won’t take part in negotiations this week after air strikes in recent days have killed dozens of civilians in Gaza.
Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a joint statement last week urging Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire and hostage-release deal currently on the table.
The leaders also called for talks to resume in Doha or Cairo beginning Aug. 15, adding they were “prepared to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties.”
U.S. officials have hinted for weeks that talks are approaching the final stages, while some have admitted there are still key implementation details to be sorted out.
The deal for a cease-fire and the release of hostages would build upon a proposal from Biden in May, which would involve the most vulnerable hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners and a temporary cease-fire. Israeli troops would also be required to withdraw from densely populated areas in Gaza.
Hamas is believed to still be holding about 115 hostages in Gaza after more than 10 months of fighting since the militant group attacked southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people and taking roughly 250 people hostage. About 105 of the hostages were released in a brief November truce.
Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as a result of the war, while hundreds of civilians have been forced out of their homes and into crowded shelters, where food, water and medical aid is low in supply.