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From the New York Times: The United States is preparing to send additional combat aircraft to the Middle East in response to threats from Iran and its proxies in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen to attack Israel in the coming days to avenge the death of Ismail Haniyeh this week, American officials said on Friday.
One U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters, said that American forces in the Middle East were taking “necessary measures” to increase combat readiness and to protect U.S. troops and allies against any threats from Iran or Iran-backed militia groups.
How many planes to send is still being worked out, as are final approvals from senior officials including Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III. Officials said they were seeking to calibrate the American response to send enough of the right types of aircraft as quickly as possible to help defend Israel without appearing to escalate the conflict.
Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin announced: “Deputy Press Secretary at the Pentagon Sabrina Singh: “The Secretary will be directing multiple forthcoming force posture moves to bolster force protection for U.S. forces region wide to provide elevated support to the defense of Israel, and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to this evolving crisis.””
Deputy Press Secretary at the Pentagon Sabrina Singh: “The Secretary will be directing multiple forthcoming force posture moves to bolster force protection for U.S. forces region wide to provide elevated support to the defense of Israel, and to ensure the United States is…
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) August 2, 2024
US @SecDef Lloyd Austin is expected to sign off on additional US military deployments to the Middle East today to help defend Israel, Pentagon confirms.
Follows Biden’s commitment to PM Netanyahu yesterday for more US defensive support against Iran.https://t.co/oZ2WjyTI5q
— Jared Szuba (@JM_Szuba) August 2, 2024
U.S. Poised to Send More Combat Aircraft to Middle East, Officials Say – How many planes to send is still being worked out, as are final approvals from senior officials including Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III. via @nytimes:https://t.co/2a1OUNwvyd
— Olav Mitchell Underdal (@omunderdal) August 2, 2024
