The US will send a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and keep an aircraft carrier in the region, the Pentagon announced on Friday. This move aims to bolster the American military presence to help defend Israel from potential attacks by Iran and its proxies and to protect US troops.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has also ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to both the European and Middle East regions and is taking steps to deploy more land-based ballistic missile defense weapons there, according to the Pentagon's statement on Friday evening.

The move fulfills a promise President Joe Biden made to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a call on Thursday, Biden discussed new US military deployments to guard against potential attacks from ballistic missiles and drones, according to the White House. In April, US forces intercepted dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran at Israel and managed to down nearly all of them.

US leaders are concerned about rising violence in the Middle East following recent attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, which have triggered threats of retaliation. Iran has also threatened to respond after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in Beirut.

Israel has claimed responsibility for killing Shukr but has not officially commented on Haniyeh. Hamas, Iran, and their allies have blamed Israel for Haniyeh's death. Israeli leaders have vowed to target the leaders of these groups in response to the devastating October 7 attack by Hamas, which ignited the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Austin is ordering the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which is currently in the Gulf of Oman but is scheduled to return home later this summer. This move indicates that the Pentagon plans to keep a carrier consistently in the region as a deterrent against Iran, at least until next year.

The Pentagon did not specify where the fighter jet squadron is coming from or where it will be based in the Middle East. Many regional allies are often willing to host US military forces but prefer to keep such arrangements private.

The Pentagon has options to provide additional land-based ballistic missile defence, such as the Patriot system or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD), both of which use interceptor missiles launched from mobile trailer-based systems. The Pentagon did not specify which system would be deployed to enhance defences in the region.

The White House in a statement said Biden “reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.”

Earlier on Friday, Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that moves were in the works. She said Austin “will be directing multiple” force movements to provide additional support to Israel and increase protection for US troops in the region.

The U.S. military had already increased deployments before April 13, when Iran launched an attack on Israeli territory using drones and missiles. However, the threat from Hezbollah in Lebanon could pose unique challenges for the United States in intercepting drones and missiles due to the group's extensive arsenal and close proximity to Israel.

At that time, Israel successfully intercepted nearly all of the approximately 300 drones and missiles with assistance from the United States and other allies.

In a phone call on Thursday with Netanyahu, Biden discussed new U.S. defensive military deployments to support Israel against threats like missiles and drones, according to the White House.

Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and have vowed to retaliate. Israel has neither claimed responsibility nor denied it.

Haniyeh's death is part of a series of killings of senior Hamas figures as the war in Gaza approaches its 11th month, raising concerns about the conflict spreading across the Middle East.

Earlier, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated that the U.S. did not believe escalation was inevitable.

"I think we are being very direct in our messaging that certainly we don't want to see heightened tensions and we do believe there is an off-ramp here and that is that ceasefire deal," Singh said.

An Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo in the coming days to negotiate a ceasefire for Gaza and a deal for the release of hostages, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Friday.

Image source: AP