Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas movement's troops infiltrating border areas. On October 8, the Israeli government announced that it had invoked Article 40 of the Basic Law, which means the country was officially in a state of war.

US Ordered Deployment of Missile Defense Destroyers, Strike Bombers to Mideast, Pentagon Says

10:19, 2 November 2024

CC BY-SA 2.0 / La Citta Vita /

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin keeps making clear that if Iran, its partners, or its proxies use the moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the US will take every measure necessary to defend its people, according to the Pentagon press secretary.

Sputnik

The United States has ordered the deployment of additional missile defense destroyers, fighter jets, and strike bombers to the Middle East, Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder announced on Friday.

"In keeping with our commitments to the protection of US 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 US Air Force B-52 long-range strike bombers to the region," Ryder said.

He said these forces will begin to arrive in the coming months as the US ship Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group prepares to depart.

"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. These movements demonstrate the flexible nature of US global defense posture and US capability to deploy world-wide on short notice to meet evolving national security threats," Ryder added.

Since October 1, Israel has been conducting a ground operation against Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon while continuing airstrikes. Despite its losses, Hezbollah has been fighting Israeli troops on the ground and launching rockets across the border.

Israel says its main objective is to create conditions for the return of 60,000 residents who fled shelling in the north.