The Pentagon on Saturday stepped up US military readiness in the Middle East in response to what it said were “recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces” across the region.
The US has sent a significant amount of naval power to the Middle East in the past few weeks, including two aircraft carriers, their support ships and about 2,000 Marines.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the activation of air defense systems and notified additional forces that they might be deployed soon.
Photo: AFP / Robert Durr / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
Austin did not say how many US troops would be added to those already in the region.
The Pentagon’s moves came after what Austin described in a statement as “detailed discussions” with US President Joe Biden.
“These steps will bolster regional deterrence efforts, increase force protection for US forces in the region, and assist in the defense of Israel,” Austin said.
The moves continued the Biden administration’s response since Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip stormed Israel on Oct. 7, taking more than 200 people hostage and killing at least 1,400 people, Israeli officials said.
Israel has since vowed to destroy Hamas, and has said that about 1,500 of the group’s fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control of the area initially under attack.
Austin said he had activated deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and additional Patriot battalions “throughout the region.”
“Finally, I have placed an additional number of forces on prepare to deploy orders as part of prudent contingency planning, to increase their readiness and ability to quickly respond as required,” he said.
The deployments come two years after the Biden administration withdrew air defense systems from the Middle East, citing a reduction in tensions with Iran.
The Patriot, considered one of the most advanced US air defense systems, is usually in short supply, with allies around the world vying for it.
The THAAD system has a powerful radar. US deployment of the system to South Korea in 2016 angered China, which believed it could peer into its airspace.
Armed factions close to Iran have threatened to attack US interests in Iraq over Washington’s support for Israel. One of them, the Hezbollah Brigades, demanded that US forces “leave” Iraq, “otherwise they will taste the fires of hell.”
US troops stationed at two bases in Iraq were targeted with rocket attacks on Friday that caused no casualties, while yesterday Katyusha rockets targeted the Ain al-Asad Air Base, which hosts US and other international forces in western Iraq, and one blast was heard inside the facility, two army sources said.
On Saturday, defense systems at Ain al-Asad intercepted and shot down two drones while they were hovering near the base.
A statement issued on Telegram channels used by pro-Iranian armed groups said the attack was carried out by an organization calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
Since Wednesday, three Iraqi bases used by US-led coalition troops have been targeted in five separate attacks — Ain al-Assad, the Al-Harir Air Base in northern Iraq and a military camp near Baghdad International Airport.
The US currently has about 2,500 troops stationed at the three bases, alongside about 1,000 soldiers from other countries in the coalition set up to fight the Islamic State.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Drug lord Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, alias “Fito,” was Ecuador’s most-wanted fugitive before his arrest on Wednesday, more than a year after he escaped prison from where he commanded the country’s leading criminal gang. The former taxi driver turned crime boss became the prime target of law enforcement early last year after escaping from a prison in the southwestern port of Guayaquil. Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa’s government released “wanted” posters with images of his face and offered US$1 million for information leading to his capture. In a country plagued by crime, members of Fito’s gang, Los Choneros, have responded with violence, using car
Two former Chilean ministers are among four candidates competing this weekend for the presidential nomination of the left ahead of November elections dominated by rising levels of violent crime. More than 15 million voters are eligible to choose today between former minister of labor Jeannette Jara, former minister of the interior Carolina Toha and two members of parliament, Gonzalo Winter and Jaime Mulet, to represent the left against a resurgent right. The primary is open to members of the parties within Chilean President Gabriel Boric’s ruling left-wing coalition and other voters who are not affiliated with specific parties. A recent poll by the
TENSIONS HIGH: For more than half a year, students have organized protests around the country, while the Serbian presaident said they are part of a foreign plot About 140,000 protesters rallied in Belgrade, the largest turnout over the past few months, as student-led demonstrations mount pressure on the populist government to call early elections. The rally was one of the largest in more than half a year student-led actions, which began in November last year after the roof of a train station collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people — a tragedy widely blamed on entrenched corruption. On Saturday, a sea of protesters filled Belgrade’s largest square and poured into several surrounding streets. The independent protest monitor Archive of Public Gatherings estimated the
Irish-language rap group Kneecap on Saturday gave an impassioned performance for tens of thousands of fans at the Glastonbury Festival despite criticism by British politicians and a terror charge for one of the trio. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged under the UK’s Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November last year. The rapper, who was charged under the anglicized version of his name, Liam O’Hanna, is on unconditional bail before a further court hearing in August. “Glastonbury,
RSS