The Pentagon is deploying additional forces in readiness for Iranian attacks on Israel and U.S. forces, the White House said.
Iran and its proxies likely will launch significant attacks on Israel and possibly U.S. forces in the Middle East in the coming days, the White House has said.
U.S. and Israeli intelligence assessments concur that an attack or attacks are “increasingly likely,” and additional forces are being placed in the region to contend with the threat, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Aug. 12.
“We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks, which is why, again, we have increased our force posture and capabilities in the region, even in just the last few days,” Kirby said.
“Just to be crystal clear … that is a U.S. assessment as well as an Israeli assessment.”
To that end, the Pentagon said on Aug. 12 that it’s deploying additional fighter jets and warships to the Middle East as Washington seeks to bolster Israeli defenses.
Among the units making haste to the region are the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the guided-missile submarine USS Georgia.
Kirby said the United States maintains “significant force capabilities in the region” and is prepared to contend with emerging threats that “could happen as soon as this week.”
“The president is confident that we have the capability available to us to help defend Israel, should it come to that,” he said. “Nobody wants to see it come to that.”
Likewise, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder issued an earlier statement saying that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had spoken with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and that Austin had ordered the Abraham Lincoln strike group to accelerate its deployment to the region.
It remains unclear when it will arrive.
“Secretary Austin reiterated the United States’ 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,” the statement reads.
