Washington: The United States is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to Israel’s strikes on Iran and a possible retaliatory attack by Tehran, two US officials said Friday.
The Navy has directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner to begin sailing toward the Eastern Mediterranean and has directed a second destroyer to begin moving forward, so it can be available if requested by the White House.
US President Donald Trump is meeting with his National Security Council principals to discuss the situation. The two US officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public.
The forces in the region have been taking precautionary measures for days, including having military dependents voluntarily depart regional bases, in anticipation of the strikes and toprotect those personnel in case of a large-scale response from Tehran.
There are typically around 30,000 troops based in the Middle East. However, that number surged as high as 43,000 last October amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran as well as continuous attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The Hudner is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that is capable of defending against ballistic missiles.
On Oct 1, 2024, US Navy destroyers fired about a dozen interceptors in defense of Israel as the country came under attack by more than 200 missiles fired by Iran.
US intelligence agencies also assess Iran does not have a weapons program at this time.
Once the attacks were underway, the US Embassy in Jerusalem issued an alert telling American government workers and their families to shelter in place until further notice. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took “unilateral action against Iran” and that it believed the strikes were necessary for its
self-defence.