US official tells international Arabic news television channel Al Arabiya English that there are at least 12 American warships in the region, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and just over 4,000 Marines prepared for all scenarios as Middle East moves closer on edge of an abyss.
The assassinations of high-ranking officials from Hezbollah and Hamas, occurring in Beirut and Tehran within hours of each other, have prompted Iran and its allies to prepare for a response to the operations attributed to Israel.
Additionally, the U.S. is bracing for potential retaliation, including threats against its forces, as it is perceived to support Israel through intelligence and weaponry. This backing has been cited by Iran and Hezbollah as a reason to target U.S. interests in the region.
“We’re preparing for all scenarios, potential evacuations of Americans from the region or attacks against our forces,” a US official told Al Arabiya English.
The Pentagon ordered several warships and other military assets to the Middle East shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The main reason was to deter Iran or other groups it backs from opening a second front, US officials said.
The US official confirmed that there are at least 12 American warships in the region, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and just over 4,000 Marines and sailors. The Washington Post was first to report on the number of ships and servicemembers.
However, the assets, which include destroyers and amphibious ships, have been in the region for months. “There have not been any new orders specifically, whether that is an evacuation or otherwise,” a second US official told Al Arabiya English. “But we are obviously in a position to execute, as needed, any orders given.” Both US officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
The State Department on Wednesday advised US citizens not to travel to Lebanon or northern Israel due to rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, and several airlines canceled their flights to both countries. No decisions have been made to evacuate citizens or government employees from either.
US officials said they were given a heads-up shortly before the Israeli operation that killed Hezbollah’s Fuad Shukr but denied playing any role in this strike. Israel claimed responsibility after it happened in the heart of Hezbollah’s stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut..
American troops in the region were bracing for potential attacks in Iraq and Syria in the aftermath of that Israeli strike.
“This is their [modus operandi], so we anticipate Iran or groups it backs to issue orders to target our forces. That’s what they’ve done in the past and what we would expect now,” one of the officials said.
The potential for escalation increased after the second operation took place when Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated inside a complex in Iran. The political leader of Hamas had been there to attend the inauguration of the new Iranian president. US officials believe Israel was behind Haniyeh’s killing and say they were not involved.
Shukr and Haniyeh have been designated as terrorists by the US, with the former being accused of playing a central role in the Oct. 23, 1983 bombing of the US Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 US servicemembers.
White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said this week that the assassinations “don’t help with the temperature going down” in the region. “I’m not going to be pollyannish about it.”
Despite the ramped-up rhetoric and high-level assassinations that took place this week, current and former US officials still assess that none of the sides involved in the conflict want an all-out war.
“I think it is likely that we will continue to see a regional response to what occurred in the Golan Heights,” said Ret. Gen. Joseph Votel, the former commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Speaking to Al Arabiya English before the Israeli attack in Beirut, Votel predicted that Shia militia groups loyal to Iran would respond. “Attacks in Iraq and Syria will be designed to ramp up pressure on the US in the hopes that [the US] will put more pressure on Israel and deepen the divide in policy approaches,” Votel said.
Hezbollah and other groups of the so-called resistance of axis have said their attacks on Israel would stop when and if there was a ceasefire in Gaza.
Photo: (U.S. Navy)
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