The United States will deploy additional warships and fighter jets to West Asia to help defend Israel from possible attacks, the Pentagon said, as fears escalated that the Jewish state’s long-running hostilities with Iran and its allies could intensify into a wider regional war.
Tensions remain high in the region over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and a key commander of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Missile defence forces were placed in a state of increased readiness to deploy, the Pentagon said, adding that its commitment to defend Israel was “ironclad”.
Israeli officials have urged residents to prepare food and water in fortified safe rooms. Paramedics conducted an emergency drill to practice in case of full-scale war.
US sets sail to support Israel
On Friday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group, which is currently operating in the Gulf of Oman, according to a statement from Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh.
In addition, destroyers and cruisers capable of ballistic missile defence will also be sent to West Asia and the Mediterranean Sea.
Haniyeh’s killing and Khamenei’s threat
Iran’s leader Ayatollah Khamenei has vowed “harsh punishment” against Israel for the assassination of Haniyeh.
The Hamas leader was killed in Tehran on Wednesday. Iran and its proxy in Gaza blamed the attack on Israel, which has not commented.
The assassination has sparked outrage within Iran, with officials calling it a significant security breach and a humiliation for the country.
Hezbollah expected to retaliate
Iran said it expects Lebanon’s Tehran-backed Hezbollah group to hit deeper inside Israel and no longer be confined to military targets after Israel killed the Hezbollah commander. Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israeli forces.
A strike claimed by Israel in an overcrowded residential area of South Beirut has changed the calculus, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said. “We expect… Hezbollah to choose more targets and (strike) deeper in its response,” said the mission quoted by the official IRNA news agency. “Secondly, that it will not limit its response to military targets.”
The strike on Tuesday killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, five civilians — three women and two children — also died.
Israel said Shukr was responsible for rocket fire that killed 12 youths in the annexed Golan Heights and had directed Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since the Gaza war began.
Houthis in the mix
The leader of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels also vowed a “military response” to the killing of Ismail.
“There has to be a military response to these crimes, which are shameless and dangerous, and constitute a major escalation by the Israeli enemy,” Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech.
IRG statement
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has said that Israel killed Ismail Haniyeh using a “short-range projectile” launched from outside of his accommodation in Tehran. An IRG statement read: “This terrorist operation was carried out by firing a short-range projectile with a warhead of about 7 kilograms – causing a strong explosion – from outside the accommodation area.”
It added that Israel was “supported by the United States” in the attack.
Israel had previously pledged to kill Hamas leaders in response to the group’s October 7 attack. The current conflict between Israel and Hamas and the war in Gaza have nearly spanned 10 months.
Advisory for Indian nationals
Indian nationals in Israel have been asked to stay vigilant and adhere to the safety protocols following the escalating tension in the region.
The advisory for Indian citizens in Israel comes a day after the Indian Embassy in Beirut strongly advised them against travelling to Lebanon till further notice. It also asked them to leave Lebanon.
Where it all began
Hamas sparked the war with its October 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people. Israel responded with an ongoing military operation in Gaza that has killed almost 40,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah since October last year has killed at least 542 people on the Lebanese side, most of them fighters but also including 114 civilians, according to a tally by news agency AFP.
(With agency inputs)
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