Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered that an additional fighter squadron deploy to the Middle East as part of a series of moves meant to protect American forces in the region and defend Israel, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh announced on Friday.
The deployments come as Israel is bracing for retaliation after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah leader in Beirut on Tuesday followed by the assassination of Hamas’ political leader on Wednesday, for which Israel has not claimed responsibility.
Austin has also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility along with additional ballistic missile-defense capable cruisers and destroyers to the Middle East and U.S. European Command regions, Singh said.
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The Defense Department also plans to move more land-based ballistic missile defenses, said Singh, who did not specify which units may be sent to the Middle East.
“These posture adjustments add to the broad range of capabilities the U.S. military maintains in the region, including the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group / Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) operating in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Singh said.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.