WASHINGTON, DUBAI - The US has sent a guided missile submarine to the Middle East, as tensions grow in the region.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also said an aircraft carrier which was already heading to the area would sail there more quickly.
The move comes in response to fears of a wider regional conflict, after the recent assassination of senior Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.
It signals the US’s determination to help defend Israel from any attack by Iran - with Mr Austin saying US would “take every possible step” to defend its ally.Iran is being closely watched for any indication of how and when it might respond to the assassination of Hamas’s top political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on 31 July. The Iranians blamed Israel for the assassination of Mr Haniyeh on their soil, and have vowed to punish it. Israel has not commented but is widely believed to have been behind it.
In a statement on Sunday, the Pentagon said Mr Austin had sent the the USS Georgia guided missile submarine to the region. The submarine can carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are used to strike land targets. It had also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, which is carrying F-35C fighter jets, to accelerate its journey there. The ship was already on its way to replace another US ship in the region. Israel and the United States are preparing for a potential Iranian attack on Israel as efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza intensify, with talks set to resume this week amid intense diplomacy to avert a wider regional war. Mediators have urged Israel and Hamas to return to the negotiating table in a renewed push to strike a ceasefire deal after the talks risked being derailed by the recent assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders which Iran and its Lebanese proxy have vowed to avenge.
Negotiations are set to resume in the Egyptian capital Cairo or the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday. Last week, the United States, Egypt and Qatar – key mediators in talks between Israel and Hamas – said they will use the meeting to present a “final bridging proposal” and urged both sides to attend.
A major Iranian attack reprisal against Israel could risk derailing the ceasefire talks that US officials have said were at an advanced stage prior to the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which Iran blamed on Israel. Israel hasn’t confirmed or denied responsibility.
In a joint statement Sunday evening, France, Germany and the United Kingdom endorsed the calls for the warring parties to strike a deal, saying “there can be no further delay” given the simmering threat of a regional conflagration.
Whether the talks will proceed however is uncertain. Israel said it will send a delegation to the Thursday talks, but Hamas hasn’t confirmed attendance, even if has signaled that it still wants a deal.