The United States is ready for “All possibilities“in the Middle East, a senior US official said on Sunday, amid fears of a war breaking out between Iran and Israel.
Following the Pentagon’s announcement of an increase in the military presence in the Middle East, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said: “We are preparing for all possibilities.”
“The Pentagon is mobilizing significant resources into the region to prepare for what could again be the need to defend Israel from attack, while simultaneously working very hard diplomatically to de-escalate this situation because we do not believe that a regional war is in anyone’s interest at this time,” he added in statements to ABC News.
The United States has mobilized more warships and fighter jets to protect its troops and its ally Israel from threats from Iran and Tehran-backed groups such as the Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Washington fears a regional escalation following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, hours after Israel killed Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
Israel, which Hamas and Iran blame for the attack that killed Haniyeh, has not commented directly on the incident.
Israel continues to bombard the Gaza Strip in a conflict that erupted after Islamist militants killed 1,197 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 251 in southern Israel on October 7, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli data.
Israel estimates that 111 people remain captive in Gaza, although 39 of them are believed to be dead.
The Israeli offensive has already killed 39,550 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian territory, ruled by Hamas since 2007.
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