Washington: Tensions between Israel and Iran continue to rise. Now, a major US action is coming to the fore. The US is sending military resources, including warships, to West Asia in retaliation for Israel's attack on Iranian bases in the Gulf. Two US officials gave this information on Friday.
The Navy has directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner to move to the eastern Mediterranean and has also directed a second destroyer to move forward so that they can be available when directed by the White House. An official said that President Donald Trump is meeting with the heads of his National Security Council to discuss the situation.
Both US officials gave this information on condition of anonymity because this information has not been made public yet. Forces in the region have been taking precautionary measures for days, including voluntarily withdrawing troops’ dependents from regional military bases to protect those personnel in the event of an attack and large-scale retaliation from Iran. There are usually about 30,000 US troops deployed in the Middle East.
However, that number has increased to 43,000 since last October amid ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran and repeated attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Hudner is an Earle Burke-class destroyer capable of defending against ballistic missiles.
US Navy destroyers fired multiple anti-missile weapons to defend the Jewish state after Iran fired more than 200 missiles at Israel on October 1, 2024.