Israeli Army Radio reported that the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt has arrived in the Strait of Hormuz, just 10km (6.2 miles) from the coast of Iran, amid fears of Iranian retaliation for the killings of Hamas’s political leader in Tehran and a Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the Middle East and areas under the United States European Command, as well as a new fighter squadron to the Middle East.
A Pentagon statement said the new deployments would “improve US force protection... increase support for the defence of Israel, and ... ensure the US is prepared to respond to various contingencies”.
The deployments would include additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers, it said.
In April, the US, UK, France and Jordan helped shoot
down missiles and drones fired by Iran at Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy compound in
Damascus.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on Friday that “the Department of Defense continues to take steps to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or Iran’s partners and proxies”. (Agencies)
