US Beefs up Posture in Middle East, Warns an Iran-Backed Attack on Israel Could Come This Week

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a joint press conference during the 2024 Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, US, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a joint press conference during the 2024 Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, US, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo
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US Beefs up Posture in Middle East, Warns an Iran-Backed Attack on Israel Could Come This Week

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a joint press conference during the 2024 Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, US, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a joint press conference during the 2024 Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, US, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area, as the US on Monday said it believes Iran or its proxies may launch a strike against Israel as soon as this week.

The moves, announced by the Defense Department Sunday, come as the US and other allies push for Israel and Hamas to achieve a ceasefire agreement that could help calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

Officials have been on the lookout for retaliatory strikes by both Iran and Hezbollah for the killings, and the US has been beefing up its presence in the region.

John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, said Iran's response to the killings "could be this week," but that "it is difficult to ascertain at this particular time if there’s an attack by Iran or its proxies what it could look like." He said the US and its allies were preparing for a "significant set of attacks."

"The president is confident that we have the capability available to us to help defend Israel should it come to that," Kirby said, adding, "Nobody wants to see it come to that."

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier in the day, and reiterated America's commitment "to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of US military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions."

The Lincoln, which has been in the Asia Pacific, had already been ordered to the region to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which is scheduled to begin heading home from the Middle East. Last week, Austin said the Lincoln would arrive in the Central Command area by the end of the month.

It wasn't clear Sunday what his latest order means, or how much more quickly the Lincoln will steam to the Middle East. The carrier has F-35 fighter jets aboard, along with the F/A-18 fighter aircraft that are also on carriers.

Ryder also did not say how quickly the USS Georgia guided missile submarine would get to the region.

He said Austin and Gallant also discussed Israel's military operations in Gaza and the importance of mitigating civilian harm.

The call comes a day after an Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza early Saturday, killing at least 80 people and wounding nearly 50 others, Palestinian health authorities said, in one of the deadliest attacks of the 10-month Israel-Hamas war.



Palestinian Prime Minister Says Palestinian Authority Should Run Gaza in Future

Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide attend a meeting of the Global Alliance for the implementation of the two-State Solution at Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway, January 15, 2025. (Heiko Junge/NTB/via Reuters)
Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide attend a meeting of the Global Alliance for the implementation of the two-State Solution at Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway, January 15, 2025. (Heiko Junge/NTB/via Reuters)
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Palestinian Prime Minister Says Palestinian Authority Should Run Gaza in Future

Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide attend a meeting of the Global Alliance for the implementation of the two-State Solution at Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway, January 15, 2025. (Heiko Junge/NTB/via Reuters)
Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide attend a meeting of the Global Alliance for the implementation of the two-State Solution at Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway, January 15, 2025. (Heiko Junge/NTB/via Reuters)

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said it “will not be acceptable” for any entity other than the Palestinian Authority to run the Gaza Strip in the future.

Mustafa made the comments on Wednesday as he visited Norway, one of three European countries that formally recognized a Palestinian state in May.

Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, confining the Palestinian Authority’s limited self-rule to parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The US has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern both the West Bank and Gaza ahead of eventual statehood, which the Israeli government opposes.

“While we’re waiting for the ceasefire, it’s important to stress that it will not be acceptable for any entity to govern Gaza Strip but the legitimate Palestinian leadership and the government of the State of Palestine," Mustafa said.

He added that “any attempt to consolidate the separation between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, or creating transitional entities, will be rejected.”

Mustafa stressed that “we should not leave Gaza to vacuum ... We are the government of Palestine, ready to hold our responsibilities in the Gaza Strip as we did before.”