US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke yesterday with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant and assured him of " ;the iron support of the US" in the event of an attack by Iran, the Pentagon announced, quoted by DPA, BTA reported.
The two also discussed "the moves that the US forces will make" to improve force protection, strengthen Israel's defense capabilities and deter tensions in the region, the Pentagon said in a statement. It also says that Austin has announced his support for a ceasefire in Gaza and an agreement to release the remaining hostages in the strip.
Tensions in the region increased after the assassination of the high-ranking commander of the group "Hezbollah" Fuad Shukr in Beirut, as well as one of the leaders of "Hamas" Ismail Haniya in the Iranian capital Tehran.
It is unclear when and how Iran's attacks will be carried out, but the Iranian leadership and its ally "Hezbollah" in Lebanon have repeatedly stated that this will happen "in the next few days".
In addition, the US is deploying additional military power in the Middle East as a defensive measure to de-escalate tensions in the region, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Feiner said, as quoted by Reuters.