WASHINGTON: The US has prepared for what could be significant attacks by Iran or its proxies in the Middle East as soon as this week, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday.
Kirby said the US had increased its regional force posture and shared Israel’s concerns about a possible Iranian-backed attack after Iran and Hamas accused Israel of carrying out the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran last month.
“We share the same concerns and expectations that our Israeli counterparts have with respect to potential timing here. Could be this week,” Kirby told reporters.
“We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks,” he said.
Israel has been braced for a major attack since last month when a missile killed 12 youngsters in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Israel responded by killing a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
A day after that operation, Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated in Tehran, drawing Iranian vows of retaliation against Israel.
“We obviously don’t want to see Israel have to defend itself against another onslaught, like they did in April. But, if that’s what comes at them, we will continue to help them defend themselves,” Kirby said.
The Pentagon said on Sunday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and for the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to accelerate its deployment to the region.
But a US official told Reuters the Lincoln carrier strike group was currently close to the South China Sea and would likely take over a week to reach the Middle East.
Oil prices jumped by more than 3 percent on Monday, rising for a fifth consecutive session on expectations of a widening Middle Eastern conflict that could tighten global crude supplies.
Israeli forces pressed on with operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Monday amid an international push for a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and prevent a slide into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies.
US prepared for possible significant attacks in Middle East by Iran, White House says
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US prepared for possible significant attacks in Middle East by Iran, White House says
- Israel has been bracing for an attack since it killed senior Hezbollah commander last month in Beirut
- Oil prices jumped by more than 3 percent on Monday as fears of wider, regional war escalate
Gaza civil defense says Israeli strikes kill at least 5
- Gaza’s health ministry has previously said at least 601 people had been killed since the truce began
GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defense ministry said Israeli strikes killed at least five people on Friday.
Violence has continued in the Palestinian territory despite a US-brokered truce that entered its second phase last month, with Israel and Hamas trading accusations of violating the agreement.
The civil defense agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authorities, told AFP that an air strike in the early hours of Friday morning killed at least two people and seriously injured one in central Gaza.
A drone strike in the south of the strip shortly after midnight killed three and injured several more people, the agency added.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, which took effect on October 10, Israeli troops withdrew to positions behind a so-called “Yellow Line,” though they remain in control of more than half of the territory.
Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authorities, has previously said at least 601 people had been killed since the truce began.
The Israeli military says at least four of its soldiers have been killed in the same period.
Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.
