The US has sent a guided missile submarine into the Middle East as tensions continue to rise in the region.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also said an aircraft carrier already heading to the area would sail there first.
This development comes in response to fears of a wider regional conflict following the recent assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.
It is an indication of the United State’s determination to help defend Israel against any attack by Iran. Austin said the US would “take every possible step” to protect its ally.
Iran is being closely monitored for any indication of how and when it might respond to the July 31 assassination of former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
The Iranians accused Israel of being responsible for Haniyeh’s death on their land and promised to retaliate. Israel did not admit responsibility, but is widely believed to be behind it.
The Pentagon said in a statement released on Sunday, that Austin had sent the USS Georgia guided-missile submarine to the region.
It had also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which carries F-35C fighter jets, to speed up its travel to the region.
The ship was already heading to the Middle-East to replace another US ship in the region.
It is not yet certain what Iran might be considering. Meanwhile, another possible strike on Israel could come from Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia and political movement in Lebanon.
The group vowed to respond to the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr by Israel, which happened hours before Haniyeh, in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Professor Mehran Kamrava of Georgetown University in Qatar said the public deployment of a submarine by the United States “will likely deter Iran and Hezbollah.”
But he suggested that privately, “there might be some indication that Iran is actually up to something and is going to strike.”
A number of passenger airlines have canceled flights to airports in the region due to the perceived threat.
German airline Lufthansa announced on Monday that it will suspend flights to Tel Aviv in Israel, Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, Amman, the capital of Jordan, Erbil in Iraq and Tehran, the capital of Iran, until the 21st of August due to its recent security analysis.
Swiss Air also canceled regular flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut during the same period.
At the same time, Air France extended until Wednesday the suspension of flights to Beirut – which began on July 29 – according to the AFP news agency.
Other airlines, including AirBaltic and EasyJet, have already announced that they are suspending flights to the region.
When Iran launched an attack on Israel after an attack on its consulate in Syria in April, it did so with hundreds of drones and air-to-air missiles.
The Biden administration believes a ceasefire in Gaza that frees the Israeli hostages would be the best way to reduce tensions in the region and has called for talks to resume on Thursday.
Source: BBC News
