U.S. increasing military presence in Middle East after Hamas leader's killing
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday ordered more destroyers and other military forces to the Middle East following this week’s assassination of Hamas’ political leader in Iran, the military said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday ordered more destroyers and other military forces to the Middle East following this week’s assassination of Hamas’ political leader in Iran, the military said.
The USS Lincoln aircraft carrier will replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt — a move that had been expected before Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran’s capital — and more destroyers and fighter aircraft will also deploy to the region.
“The Department of Defense continues to take steps to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or Iran’s partners and proxies,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement.
The U.S. military statement does not specifically mention Haniyeh's killing. Iran has vowed retaliation against Israel after Haniyeh and a bodyguard were killed in an explosion at his residence at around 2 a.m. local time Wednesday (6:30 p.m. ET Tuesday).
Israel has not confirmed that it killed Haniyeh. It typically remains silent on targeted assassinations.
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