- US deploys guided missile submarine and accelerates USS Abraham Lincoln’s arrival in the Middle East
- Deployment in response to escalating tensions after the killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders
- Austin and Gallant discussed mitigating civilian harm, ceasefire progress, and hostage release
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has directed the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and the acceleration of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group’s arrival.
The order was issued on Sunday evening during a phone chat between Austin and Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Galant, as tensions rose following the deaths of key Hamas and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Austin reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to take every feasible measure to defend Israel, as well as the upgrading of US military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in response to growing regional tensions, according to the Pentagon.
According to a US military social media post, the USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine, was already in the Mediterranean Sea in July. Still, the US rarely openly announces submarine deployments.
Abraham Lincoln was in the Asia Pacific and had already been ordered to the Middle East to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which was set to return home.
Last week, Austin said it would arrive in the area by the end of the month. The ship has F-35 and F/A-18 fighter planes on board.
The US military has already stated that it will send more fighter aircraft and warships to the Middle East to strengthen Israel’s defenses against a potential Iranian attack.
Ismail Haniyeh, the senior leader of Hamas, the party that administers Gaza and is backed by Iran, was assassinated in Tehran on July 31, with Iran blaming Israel and vowing retaliation. Israel hasn’t claimed responsibility.
Haniyeh’s assassination occurred in the same week that Fuad Shukr, the senior military leader of Iran-backed Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli raid on Beirut, raising concerns that the Gaza conflict could escalate into a regional war.
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The US declaration comes a day after Israeli forces attacked a school-turned-shelter in Gaza, killing at least 90 people and injuring almost 50, according to Palestinian health officials.
The Pentagon claimed that Austin and Gallant discussed “the importance of mitigating civilian harm, progress towards securing a ceasefire, and the release of hostages held in Gaza.”
Nearly 40,000 people have been murdered since Israel launched its war on Gaza last October following a surprise offensive by Hamas. During the attack against Israel, an estimated 1,139 individuals were murdered, with more than 200 captured by Hamas.
Washington and other allies have repeated calls for a ceasefire.
Hamas stated on Sunday that the US, Qatar, and Egypt should present a plan to implement the ceasefire proposal put out by US President Joe Biden in May rather than holding “more rounds of negotiations” and considering fresh suggestions for Gaza.
