Overseas, tensions are high in the Middle East as Iran vows revenge for the assassination of a top Hamas leader. The Biden Administration is promising additional military assets to help defend Israel while the president is also trying to de-escalate tensions in the region.
The Biden Administration is bracing for a potential escalation in the Middle East. The Pentagon has announced it will deploy additional US cruisers, destroyers, and fighter jets to protect Israel. The Secretary of Defense will be directing multiple forthcoming force posture moves to bolster force protection.
This comes as Iran and its allies promise to retaliate following the assassination of top Hamas political official Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. In April, Iran coordinated an unprecedented direct attack against Israel in response to a deadly strike on the Iranian Consulate in Syria. The US and its allies helped intercept nearly all of the more than 300 missiles and drones targeting Israel. Amid concerns of another Iranian retaliation, Haniyeh’s funeral prayers took place today in Doha.
Sources say Haniyeh was killed by an explosive smuggled into his room at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps guest house. The device was stashed inside roughly two months ago as part of an Israeli plot, as first reported by the New York Times. The assassination threatens to upend ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. President Biden has expressed concern that the violence could escalate, fearing the assassination has ruined a chance for a ceasefire.
The Pentagon has not provided any specific timelines for when the additional military assets will be deployed. Meanwhile, across Israel, authorities are urging people to stay close to their safe rooms and have a couple of days’ provisions on hand in case of power outages.
