By Joseph Clark
The Defense Department remains committed to deterring aggression in the Middle East and supporting Israel’s defense, said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant twice over the weekend to discuss Israeli actions to defend against attacks by Lebanese Hezbollah after the Iran-backed militant group launched a drone and rocket attack against Israel on Saturday.
Israel responded to the attack with what it described as preemptive strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Those strikes were carried out without U.S. involvement, Ryder said.
“We provided some intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, [or] ISR, in terms of tracking incoming Lebanese Hezbollah attacks, but did not conduct any kinetic operations as they were not required,” Ryder said.
Austin reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself, in his calls with Gallant and underscored the United States’ ironclad resolve to support Israel’s defense against threats from Iran and its regional partners and proxies.
“We remain postured to support Israel’s defense against any aggression from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah or other actors,” Ryder said. “As we’ve been from the start, 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 to end the war in Gaza.”
Last week, the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group arrived in the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility after Austin ordered the Lincoln to accelerate its deployment to the region earlier this month. It joined the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group already on station there.
The plus-up is part of adjustments to U.S. military posture in the region to ensure U.S. force protection, increase support for the defense of Israel, and ensure the U.S. is prepared to respond to various contingencies, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said last week.
Over the weekend, Austin ordered both carrier strike groups to remain in the region. The additional ships complement other forces in the region, which include an Air Force F-22 Raptor squadron, and the USS Georgia an Ohio-class cruise missile submarine operating nearby.
“The additional forces in the theater send a very clear message to all actors in the region that we’re serious when it comes to supporting the defense of Israel, as well as protecting our forces should they be attacked,” Ryder said.
He added that the U.S. maintains the capability and capacity to respond to a wide variety of contingencies in the region.
“I can’t emphasize enough that we are not seeking any type of escalation in the region,” Ryder said. “The opposite, in fact. We’re looking… to de-escalate. We’re looking to get a cease-fire signed and the hostages released and start lowering the temperature around the region.”
