US announces new Middle East military deployments amid Iran-Israel tension

“In keeping with our commitments to the protection of U.S. citizens and forces in the Middle East, the defense of Israel, and de-escalation through deterrence and diplomacy, the Secretary of Defense ordered the deployment of additional ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several U.S. Air Force B-52 long-range strike bombers to the region,” spokesman Pat Ryder said in a statement.

The forces will begin to arrive in the coming months as the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group prepares to depart, he added.

The statement came amid media reports that claim Iran is preparing to strike Israel in the coming days, possibly before the US presidential election on Nov. 5.

“These deployments build on the recent decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to Israel as well as DoD’s sustained Amphibious Ready Group Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) posture in the Eastern Mediterranean,” said Ryder.

The US will take “every measure necessary” to defend its people if “Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region,” he added.

Last Saturday, the Iranian Air Defense Forces said in a statement that the country’s integrated air defense system successfully intercepted and countered the Israeli strikes targeting military locations in Tehran, Khuzestan, and Ilam provinces.

The attacks caused limited damage in some locations and the dimensions of the incident are under investigation, the statement added.

Tehran has strongly condemned the Israeli assault as a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, reiterating the country’s right to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression. Iran has stressed that it is not looking for war but will not abandon its right to give an appropriate and firm response to Israel’s latest act of aggression.