Washington, 12 August 2024 (TDI): US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and instructed the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area, the Defense Department said Sunday.
Austin issued the order after speaking with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who told him Iran’s military preparations suggest Tehran is getting ready for a large-scale attack on Israel, according to media reports.
The moves come as the US and other allies push for Israel and Hamas to achieve a cease-fire deal that could help calm growing tensions in the region following the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
While the USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine, was already in the Mediterranean Sea last month, according to a US military post on social media, it was a rare decision to publicly announce the deployment of a submarine.
In a statement after Austin spoke with Gallant, the Pentagon said the defense chief had ordered the Abraham Lincoln strike group to speed up its deployment to the region.
Secretary Austin reiterated the US commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of American military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of soaring regional tensions, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
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The US military had already said it will deploy additional fighter planes and Navy warships to the Middle East as Washington seeks to bolster Israeli defenses.
Officials have been on the lookout for retaliatory attacks by both Iran and Hezbollah for the assassinations, and the US has been beefing up its presence in the region.
The Lincoln, which has been in the Asia Pacific, had already been ordered to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which is scheduled to start heading home from the Middle East. Last week, Austin said the Lincoln would arrive in the Central Command area by the end of August.
It was not clear Sunday what his latest order means, or how much more quickly the Lincoln will steam to the region. The carrier has F-35 fighter aircrafts aboard, along with the F/A-18 fighter jet that are also on carriers.
