White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Monday that the United States has prepared for major attacks by Iran or its allies in the Middle East this week.
Kirby said the United States had raised its regional military force posture and shared Israel’s concerns about a possible Iran-backed attack after Iran and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas accused Israel of killing a Hamas leader in Tehran last month.
“We have the same concerns and expectations as our Israeli counterparts regarding the potential timing,” Kirby told reporters. “It could be this week.”
“We have to be prepared for large-scale attacks,” he said.
Israel has been preparing for a major offensive since last month, when a missile attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 12 young men and Israel responded by killing a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
A day after that operation, Hamas political leader Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, after which Iran vowed retaliation against Israel.
“We obviously don’t want Israel to have to defend itself from another attack like they did in April,” Kirby said. “But if they do come under attack, we will continue to help them defend themselves.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to accelerate its deployment to the region, the Pentagon said Sunday.
But a US official told Reuters the Lincoln carrier strike group was currently close to the South China Sea and would take more than a week to reach the Middle East.
Oil prices rose more than 3 percent on Monday, rising for a fifth consecutive session, as fears grew that conflict in the Middle East could tighten global crude supplies.
Israeli forces on Monday continued operations near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, amid international pressure for a halt to fighting in Gaza and a deal with Iran and its allies to avert a wider regional conflict.