The Department of Defense is bringing additional assets to the Middle East ahead of an expected Iranian attack against Israel.
“We are moving additional assets to the region to bolster regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for U.S. forces,” a defense official told the Washington Examiner.
Iranian leaders have vowed to retaliate against Israel for the bombing of an Iranian diplomatic annex in Damascus, Syria, that resulted in the death of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi.
The United States distanced itself from the Israeli strike that took place on April 1, telling the Iranian government it had no involvement in or prior warning to the attack. Since the strike, U.S. leaders, including President Joe Biden, have conferred with their Israeli counterparts about Tehran’s public vows for revenge.
Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of the U.S. Central Command, is in Israel, where he met with Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Herzi Halevi and other military officials.
“The IDF continues to monitor closely what is happening in Iran and different arenas, constantly preparing to deal with existing and potential threats in coordination with the United States Armed Forces,” Halevi said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, also discussing “growing threats from Iran and its regional proxies,” according to a readout of their call from the Pentagon.
“Echoing President Biden’s unequivocal message to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Secretary Austin assured Minister Gallant that Israel could count on full U.S. support to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, which Tehran has publicly threatened,” the readout continued.
It’s not clear what Iran’s retaliatory attack could look like, though CBS News reported it may include more than 100 drones and dozens of missiles aimed at military targets. It’s also unclear who would carry out the response.
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Tehran has funded, trained, and supported a variety of militant forces throughout the Middle East, including Hamas, which carried out the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel that prompted the war; Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based terrorist group that has engaged in limited rocket and missile fire over Israel’s northern border; militia groups in Iraq and Syria; and the Houthis, the Yemen-based group.
Hezbollah launched roughly 40 rockets from Lebanese territory on Friday night. Some of them were intercepted by Israel’s air defenses, while others landed in open areas. The IDF also struck a number of locations in southern Lebanon.