US Increases Military Readiness In Middle East As Iran Threatens Israel After Hamas Leader’s Death

The Pentagon has announced that the United States will send additional warships and fighter jets to the Middle East to bolster Israel's defence against potential attacks from Iran and its allies as per a report by BBC.

This move follows the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and a top commander of Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group.

The Pentagon emphasised that its commitment to Israel's defence remains "ironclad," with missile defence forces on heightened alert.

Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on Wednesday.

Both Iran and its Gaza-based proxy has blamed Israel for the attack, although Tel Aviv has not commented on it yet.

His death came shortly after Israel claimed responsibility for the killing of Fuad Shukr, the top military commander of Hezbollah, in Beirut.

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The Pentagon's statement noted that the new deployments aim to "enhance US force protection, bolster support for Israel's defence, and prepare for various contingencies."

This includes deploying more cruisers and destroyers capable of ballistic missile defence. The US military had already increased deployments before 13 April, following an Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel.

Most of the approximately 300 drones and missiles were intercepted by Israel and its allies.

While Israel has not directly addressed Haniyeh's assassination, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel had dealt "crushing blows" to its enemies recently, including Shukr's killing.

He cautioned Israelis about upcoming "challenging days" due to threats from multiple fronts and assured that Israel is prepared for any scenario.

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