US sends submarine, aircraft carrier to Middle East over Iran-Israel attack fears

The United States is sending a missile submarine to the Middle East and speeding up the arrival of an aircraft carrier strike group, as Israel braces for retaliatory attacks from Iran and its proxies following the assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

“We are monitoring Hezbollah and Iran and are ready,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement Monday night. “We are on high alert.”

The Pentagon confirmed Sunday night that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the guided-missile submarine USS Georgia to the region. He also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to accelerate its ongoing transit to the area.

The U.S. orders, and the rare decision to publicly announce the submarine deployment, came as Austin reaffirmed Washington's “commitment to take all possible measures to defend” its ally in a call with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, according to a Pentagon readout.

Gallant “detailed the IDF's readiness and capabilities to address threats posed by Iran and its regional proxies, and discussed interoperability with the broad range of U.S. military capabilities deployed in the region,” his office said.

The guided-missile submarine USS Georgia at sea in 2020. US Navy / via Reuters file

The moves come amid growing fears that Iran will soon respond to the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran last month after attending the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Both Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of responsibility for the killing, and although Israel has remained silent on the issue, it is widely believed to be responsible for the assassination.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “harsh punishment” for the assassination, after which Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind of Hamas' October 7 terror attack on Israel, was named the group's political leader.

But it is unclear how Iran plans to respond.

Reports that the country's Revolutionary Guards began military exercises last week have fueled fears of a response that the United States and its allies fear could spark a broader regional conflict.

Iranians hold portraits of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during his funeral procession in Tehran on August 1, 2024. AFP – Getty Images file

The Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah also vowed retaliation for the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, hours before Haniyeh's killing.

As tensions continue to escalate, the United States has increased pressure on Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire and a hostage release deal that would end Israel's deadly offensive in Gaza, where local officials say some 40,000 people have been killed in the months since Hamas launched its attacks on Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and about 250 others taken hostage.

On Monday, President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom to discuss the situation and ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions, according to National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett.

The United States is pushing its allies to come to Israel's aid if Iran and its allies attack, as they did in April, when Tehran launched more than 300 missiles and drones targeting Israel.

At that time, the United Kingdom and France provided military support to intercept the attacks.

Earlier, Britain, France and Germany had called on Iran and its allies to refrain from retaliation to avoid a further escalation of tensions and jeopardising efforts to reach a ceasefire deal.

In a joint statement, the three countries said Iran and its proxies would “bear responsibility for actions that undermine the opportunity for peace and stability.”

The trio endorsed the latest move by the United States and other mediators to broker a deal, their intervention coming after Hamas appeared to oppose resuming negotiations later this week.

Several countries, including the UK, have in recent days urged airlines to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace over fears of attack, while Western countries have also urged their citizens to leave parts of the region.

Israel is under renewed scrutiny after it launched a deadly strike on a Gaza City school where displaced civilians had taken refuge, killing at least 100 people and wounding dozens more early Saturday, according to Gaza's civil defense agency.

The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas command center embedded in the school grounds and that “numerous measures were taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians.” NBC News could not independently verify whether there was a command center at the school.

The White House said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” by the strike, noting that it had “repeatedly and consistently” warned that Israel must take steps to minimize civilian harm.

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