Austin ordered additional ballistic missile defense
destroyers, a fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several Air Force B-52
long-range strike bombers to the region, press secretary Maj.
Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
“These forces will begin to arrive in coming months as
the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group prepares to depart,” he
added.
Ryder did not say how many American forces will be in the
region with the changes, but as many as 43,000 US troops have been
there recently.
The bulked up US military stance comes as Israel has
shown no sign of relenting in its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip
and a separate conflict against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel also launched a retaliatory strike on Iran last
week targeting military bases and weapons production. That followed
Tehran’s strike on Israel exactly one month ago when it fired a barrage of about
180 missiles at the country.
Washington, while pressing for a cease-fire in Gaza and
Lebanon, has made little progress on that front ahead of the US
presidential election.
Two White House officials, Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk,
were in Israel on Thursday to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, but they returned home on Friday with little to show.
In the meantime, US officials have repeatedly said it will
defend Israel and US personnel and interests in the region, with the Pentagon
last month sending roughly 100 American troops to Israel to operate a
provided Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.
The additional B-52 bombers are notable as it is the
second time within a month that the US has ordered the warplanes to the
Middle East, where it uses the aircraft to send a warning to Iran and its
proxies.
“Secretary Austin continues to make clear that should Iran,
its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or
interests in the region, the United States will take every measure
necessary to defend our people,” Ryder said.
