U.S. reinforces Israel for expected Iranian attack

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent the nuclear-powered USS Georgia submarine to the Middle East on Sunday amid rising regional tensions, according to the Pentagon. The submarine armed with guided missiles will join the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group already stationed in the region to reiterate the U.S. commitment to protecting Israel, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said. The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has also been ordered to speed up its journey to join the Roosevelt, bringing stealth F-35C fighter jets and several destroyers to the scene.

Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on the phone Sunday. They talked about progress toward a potential cease-fire in Gaza. The pair also discussed efforts to protect civilians in the region and how to deter aggression from Iran and its regional allies.

When and why is an Iranian attack expected? Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, Iran on July 31. Iran has blamed Israel for the death, although Israeli officials have neither confirmed nor denied involvement. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen vowed to avenge the death of Haniyeh. Israel faces a wave of painful retaliations that will hopefully change the tide of war in Gaza, Houthi spokesman Nasr Al-Din Amer said less than two weeks ago.

Hezbollah official Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Israel also crossed the line in killing Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr, aka Sayyid Muhsan, with an airstrike on Beirut a day before Haniyeh’s death. It is now a new phase of open war on all fronts with battles in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen, Nasrallah said Aug. 1 at Shukr’s funeral. He also continued to deny Hezbollah’s involvement in a July 27 strike on a northern Israel soccer field that killed a dozen children and prompted the retaliation by Israel.

Dig deeper: Read my report for more on the air strike that killed 12 children in northern Israel and prompted the wave of attacks.