In a significant show of force, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East and expedited the arrival of a carrier strike group to the region. The move comes in response to intelligence indicating a potential large-scale Iranian attack against Israel, the Pentagon announced on Sunday evening.
The USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine equipped with cruise missiles, was recently operating in the Mediterranean Sea after completing training exercises near Italy. The Pentagon confirmed that Austin ordered the submarine into Middle Eastern waters, a rare public disclosure of such movements, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
This action is seen as a clear deterrent message to Iran and its allied groups, who, according to US and Israeli intelligence, may be planning an attack on Israel. The heightened tensions follow a series of escalatory incidents, including Israel’s targeted killing of Hezbollah’s top military commander in Lebanon last month and the reported assassination of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran, which Israel has neither confirmed nor denied.
The situation further escalated on Sunday evening when the Israel Defense Forces reported that around 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon. While some rockets landed in open areas without causing injuries, Hezbollah claimed the attack was in support of Palestinians in Gaza and in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
In a conversation between Secretary Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the two officials discussed efforts to deter aggression by Iran, Hezbollah, and other Iran-aligned groups across the region.
In addition to the submarine deployment, Austin also accelerated the transit of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to the Middle East. Originally dispatched on August 2, the strike group made port calls in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands but is now en route to the region. The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, along with the USS Wasp amphibious ready group, is already operating in the Middle East, bolstering the US military presence amid the escalating tensions.
The Pentagon’s decisive actions reflect growing concerns over the stability of the region and the potential for a broader conflict as Iran and its proxies continue to pose significant threats to Israel and other US allies in the Middle East.
