US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered two American
carrier strike groups to remain in the Middle East on Sunday after intense
cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah overnight.
The decision was detailed in a Pentagon readout of Austin's
call with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant.
During the conversation, Austin discussed "Israeli
actions to defend against attacks by Lebanese Hezbollah" and reiterated
Israel’s right to defend itself.
He also emphasized the United States' "ironclad
resolve" to support Israel’s defense against threats from Iran and its
regional partners and proxies, according to Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat
Ryder.
"As part of that support, the Secretary has ordered the
presence of two Carrier Strike Groups to remain in the region.
The Secretary also expressed support for completing
negotiations on a cease-fire and hostage-release deal," Ryder said in a
statement. He used a variant spelling for "Hezbollah."
The US had previously acknowledged the deployment of the USS
Abraham Lincoln and the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Groups to the
region.
As reported by Reuters, on Sunday, Lebanese Hezbollah
announced that it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones deep into Israel
overnight Saturday as part of the “first phase” of its response to Tel Aviv's
assassination of senior commander Fouad Shukr late last month.
This announcement came shortly after the Israeli army
carried out large-scale airstrikes in southern Lebanon, claiming the strikes
were aimed at preventing Hezbollah from launching an attack.
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