The US is deploying additional military power in the Middle East as a defensive de-escalation measure of tensions in the region, said the deputy adviser on national security issues in the White House Jonathan Feiner, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
Tensions in the region have increased since the assassination of Ismail Haniya, the leader of the Palestinian Islamist group "Hamas", in Tehran on Wednesday. It came a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fouad Shukr, a senior military commander from the Lebanese Hezbollah group. Both groups are supported by Iran.
Concerns are growing that Israel's war against Palestinian militants in Gaza, which began last October after attacks on the Jewish state, could escalate into a wider Middle East conflict, according to Reuters. Iran and "Hamas" blame Israel for the assassination of Haniya in the Iranian capital and together with "Hezbollah" they threatened to take revenge. Israel has so far neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the murder.
The White House announced that US President Joe Biden will convene his national security team in the situation room today to discuss developments in the Middle East. In addition, Biden will also talk with King Abdullah of Jordan.
On Friday, the Pentagon said it would send additional US Navy fighter jets and warships to the region.
"The overall objective is to reduce tensions in the region, deter and repel these attacks and avoid regional conflict," said Feiner on "Face of the Nation" (Face the Nation) on CBS. The US and Israel are preparing for every possibility, he added.