In his conversation on X with Elon Musk on Monday, former President Donald Trump said the deteriorating situation in the Middle East could escalate to a regional level and potentially lead to World War III.
Iran has warned that a retaliatory strike on Israel for the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haninyeh is "imminent."
An American carrier strike group is being redeployed to a new area of operations in the Middle East, the Pentagon said, adding that the carrier group will be joined by a nuclear submarine.
“Reinforcing this commitment, Secretary Austin has ordered the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to accelerate its transit to the Central Command area of responsibility, adding to the capabilities already provided by the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT Carrier Strike Group," the Pentagon's statement said. “Additionally, the Secretary has ordered the USS Georgia (SSGN 729) guided missile submarine to the Central Command region.”
"These powerful naval assets are being moved to the military’s Central Command area, which covers the Middle East and much of central Asia. The number one command priority of the force is to 'deter Iran,' " the statement said.
Geostrategy-Direct.com reported on Tuesday that Middle East analysts have suggested that despite its decision to strike Israel, Iran may decide it does not want to escalate a tense situation into an all-out war in fear of what Israel is capable of doing in response.
Related: Fear seen hampering Iran’s retaliation, deemed imminent, August 13, 2024
Geostrategy-Direct.com reported on Aug. 6 that Israel's shocking assassinations of top leaders of Iran's terror proxies were carried out to restore deterrence lost by Biden-Harris era subsidies to Iran.
Related: With three assassinations, Israel aims to restore balance of power, August 6, 2024
Trump noted in his conversation with Musk that Israel expects "an attack tonight or tomorrow from 100s or maybe 1000s of rockets — Iron Dome can be swamped by shooting enough missiles where they can't defend themselves."
Trump was speaking about Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system which has proven highly effective over the years. He said that the U.S. should have such a system and that he would implement it if elected president.
The Pentagon on Tuesday released a statement saying: “Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant today. Secretary Austin reiterated the United States’ commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of U.S. military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions."
Trump also criticized Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris's stance on Israel, saying she is "so anti-Israel [and] picked an anti-Israel radical left person" as her running mate, referring to Tim Walz.
Speaking on the Biden-Kamala administration's impact on the Middle East, Trump said that Harris is "bad for both" the Israelis and Palestinians and that "Biden actually did something impossible: both sides hated him."
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, speaking to new IDF troops, issued a stern warning on Aug. 11: “Whoever will harm us in a way that he has not acted in the past, is also likely to get hit by us in a way that we have not acted in the past. These are things we don’t want but we need to prepare for them, and they may happen.”
According to a report by Iran International, newly-elected President Masoud Pezeshkian recently met with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to plead against direct military action on Israel, warning of catastrophic retaliation that could cripple Iran’s already fragile economy.
🇺🇸–🇮🇹@CVN_72 sails in formation during a bilateral Multi-Large Deck Event, our first ever alongside @ItalianNavy, demonstrating @USPacificFleet combined operations with #FriendsPartnersAllies in the #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific.
📍#PacificOcean 📸: MC1 Jerome D. Johnson pic.twitter.com/EYyzGhOpOq — U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (@INDOPACOM) August 13, 2024
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