A US aircraft carrier strike group has been moved to the Middle East as new Israeli intelligence reports suggest Iran will launch an attack within days.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East late Sunday and ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to quickly move to the area, the Defense Department announced.
The move came just hours after Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.
During that conversation, Gallant told Austin that Iranian military preparations suggest the country is preparing for a large-scale attack in retaliation for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas. Axios reports.
His killing, as well as that of top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr by Israel in an attack on Beirut, have fuelled concerns of a wider war in the Middle East.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday night ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East
Austin then reiterated the U.S. commitment to “take all possible measures to defend Israel and highlighted the strengthening of U.S. military force posture and capabilities across the Middle East in light of rising regional tensions,” Ryder said.
The Lincoln, which was already stationed in the Asia Pacific, had already been deployed to the region to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which is scheduled to return home from the Middle East.
Austin said last week that the Lincoln, which operates F-35C stealth fighter jets as well as several destroyers, would arrive in the region by the end of the month.
It’s unclear how much faster the Lincoln would go.
Meanwhile, the USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine armed with cruise missiles, has been operating in the Mediterranean Sea in recent days, according to the Navy.
Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group (pictured) to move quickly toward the area.
It is rare for the United States to announce such ship movements, but officials have been preparing for an Iranian attack on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hamas’s political leader in Tehran.
Israeli intelligence now believes the attack could happen within the next two days, ahead of talks on the hostages and the Gaza ceasefire planned for Thursday, potentially jeopardizing the negotiations.
However, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Friday that “we hope that our response will be timely and carried out in a manner that does not undermine the possible ceasefire.”
Israel’s intelligence community had previously believed that international pressure and internal debates could push Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to postpone, restrict or minimize retaliation against Israel.
The Israeli memorandum was drafted in the last 24 hours.
Israel’s intelligence community previously believed Iran had not yet decided on the timing and nature of its response, and that international pressure and internal debates could push Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to postpone, restrict or minimize retaliation against Israel.
They still believe Hezbollah is likely to strike first in retaliation for the killing of its top military commander in Beirut, and then Iran could join in with a direct attack of its own, Axios reports.
The sources said the attacks are likely to be larger than the one carried out by Iran last April, and include the launching of missiles and drones at military targets in central Israel, including in the vicinity of populated areas.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (left) has warned Iran and Hezbollah to avoid retaliatory attacks against Israel. He is pictured with Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
Gallant has now warned Iran and Hezbollah to avoid retaliatory attacks against Israel.
“Whoever hurts us in a way that hasn’t happened before will probably be hit in a way that hasn’t happened before,” he said Sunday. According to DPA.
‘I hope they will think this through and not get to the point where they concentrate on us causing significant damage and increasing the likelihood of war breaking out on other fronts.
“We don’t want that, but we have to be prepared.”
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari also said that IDF forces are “deployed and prepared in high readiness.”
“If there is a need to change the instructions, we will update it in an orderly message on official channels,” he said.
Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets towards northern Israel in support of the Palestinian people
Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets toward northern Israel on Sunday night, According to CNN.
The terror group said the rockets were fired in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza and in retaliation for Israeli strikes in Lebanon that reportedly killed two of its members.
Hezbollah also claimed to have attacked a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the border, and Israeli forces reportedly attacked other targets of a pro-Iranian militia.
But some sources say the internal debate in Iran continues and it is possible that decision-making in Iran may yet change.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps is pushing for a harsher and more comprehensive response than Iran’s April 13 attack on Israel.
However, Iran’s new president and his advisers believe a regional escalation now would not serve Iran’s interests, as White House efforts to reach a deal suffered a setback when Hamas announced it had rejected an invitation from the United States, Qatar and Egypt for a final round of negotiations.