US to deploy additional military assets to Middle East

WASHINGTON

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of additional military assets to the Middle East, the Pentagon said Friday.

"In keeping with our commitments to the protection of U.S. citizens and forces in the Middle East, the defense of Israel, and de-escalation through deterrence and diplomacy, the Secretary of Defense ordered the deployment of additional ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several U.S. Air Force B-52 long-range strike bombers to the region," spokesman Pat Ryder said in a statement.

The forces will begin to arrive in the coming months as the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group prepares to depart, he added.

The statement came amid media reports that claim Iran is preparing to strike Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, possibly before the US presidential election on Nov. 5.

"These deployments build on the recent decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to Israel as well as DoD’s sustained Amphibious Ready Group Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) posture in the Eastern Mediterranean," said Ryder.

The US will take "every measure necessary" to defend its people if "Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region," he said.

Israeli carried out a strike last week against Iranian assets, reportedly targeting missile production facilities and air defense systems, in response to Tehran's missile attacks on Oct. 1.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel's brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,200 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group, Hamas, last October.

As the conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, more than 2,900 people have been killed and over 13,000 injured in Israeli attacks since last year, according to Lebanese authorities.