The move comes amid concerns over Iran’s response to the killing of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to reach the region rapidly.
The order came after a telephone conversation between Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Sunday evening, at a time when tensions were heightened following the killing of senior members of Hamas and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The Pentagon said in a statement that Austin “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to taking all necessary steps to defend Israel and noted the importance of strengthening the U.S. military force posture and capabilities in the Middle East in the face of rising regional tensions.”
The nuclear-powered submarine USS Georgia was already in the Mediterranean in July, according to US military posts on social media, but it is rare for the US to publicly announce a submarine deployment.
Abraham Lincoln is in the Asia Pacific region, and has already been ordered to the Middle East to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which is now set to return home.
Last week, Austin said it was expected to arrive in the region by the end of this month. The aircraft carrier is equipped with F-35 and F/A-18 fighter jets.
The US military has already said it will deploy additional fighter jets and warships to the Middle East, as Washington seeks to bolster Israel’s security against a possible attack by Iran.
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, the Iran-backed group that rules Gaza, was assassinated in Tehran on July 31, for which Iran blamed Israel and vowed to retaliate. Israel has not claimed responsibility.
Haniyeh’s killing came the same week that Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander for the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli attack on Beirut, raising concerns that the conflict in Gaza could spiral into a regional war.
The US announcement comes a day after an Israeli attack on a school in Gaza killed at least 90 people and wounded about 50, Palestinian health officials said.
The Pentagon said Austin and Gallant also discussed “the importance of minimizing civilian harm, progress toward ensuring a ceasefire, and the release of hostages in Gaza.”
Nearly 40,000 people have been killed since Israel began its war on Gaza after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel in October last year. Around 1,139 people were killed during the attack on Israel and more than 200 people were taken prisoner by Hamas.
Washington and other allies have launched fresh efforts to broker a ceasefire.
Hamas said on Sunday the United States, Qatar and Egypt should present a plan to implement a ceasefire proposal put forward by US President Joe Biden in May, instead of discussing new proposals for Gaza and holding “further rounds of negotiations”.
