US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has informed Israel about current and future changes to US forces in the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, though he had not decided which additional capabilities to send.
"(Austin) informed the minister of additional measures to include ongoing and future defensive force posture changes that the department will take to support the defense of Israel," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters after a call between Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Singh added that the move could include deploying additional forces to the region, but Austin had not made a decision.
The assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday and senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut on Tuesday risk escalating the fighting in the Gaza Strip into an all-out regional war, with Iran also threatening to respond after the attack on its territory. Israel has vowed to kill Hamas leaders over the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was among the growing voices internationally calling for a cease-fire in recent days, saying that it was the only way to begin to break the cycle of violence and suffering.
