US taking steps to 'mitigate' possibility of regional escalation by Iran: Pentagon

WASHINGTON

The US is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East amid rising tensions, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

"The Department of Defense continues to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East and take steps to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or its proxies," spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.

The department's recent adjustment to the US military posture in the region has enabled the US to bolster its force protection, increase support for the defense of Israel, and to ensure the US is prepared to respond to various contingencies, he added.

The Pentagon announced earlier this month that the US will deploy additional military assets to the Middle East ahead of possible retaliation by Iran against Israel.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to accelerate transit to the Central Command area of responsibility, adding to capabilities already provided by the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.

Additionally, he ordered the USS Georgia (SSGN 729) guided missile submarine to the Central Command region.

'Focused on de-escalating tensions in region'

Ryder said the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group and the USS Georgia are transiting to the US Central Command area of responsibility, and “I do anticipate they'll be arriving soon."

"As you've heard us say previously, we remain intently focused on de-escalating tensions in the region while also remaining focused on securing a cease-fire as part of a hostage deal to bring all of the hostages home and end the war in Gaza," Ryder said.

Tensions are running high in the Middle East following the July 31 assassination of the Palestinian group Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital of Tehran and Israel's assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an airstrike on a southern suburb of Beirut on July 30.

Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of carrying out Haniyeh’s assassination, while Tel Aviv has not confirmed or denied responsibility.

Iran has vowed "harsh punishment" for Israel for Haniyeh’s killing on Iranian soil.

The escalation comes amid an ongoing Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians following an attack on Oct. 7 last year by Hamas that killed 1,139 Israelis.