- By Mayukh Debnath
- Sat, 03 Aug 2024 01:10 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Iran-Israel Conflict: The US has decided to deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Friday, as Washington seeks to bolster defences in the region in the face of rising threats from Iran and its non-state allies against Israel following a series of high-profile killings, including that of Hamas top boss Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in the Iranian capital of Tehran earlier this week.
WHY ARE TENSIONS RISING IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
The recent killing of Ismail Haniyeh, who was considered the overall leader of Hamas, and Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets have escalated tensions in West Asia, a region already shaken by the war in Gaza.
Iran has vowed retaliation against Israel, whom it holds responsible for Haniyeh's assassination, which took place on Wednesday. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pronounced that it is Tehran's "duty to take revenge" from the "criminal, terrorist Zionist regime", which he claimed "martyred" a "dear guest" on Iranian territory.
Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group Hezbollah, another Iranian proxy like Hamas, is also in the mix as it lost its top military commander Fouad Shukur to an Israeli strike in southern Beirut on Tuesday. Shukur was blamed by Israel for a rocket attack that killed 12 children and teenagers in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last week.
US TO BOLSTER MILITARY PRESENCE
As the Middle East loomed under the threat of a spillover from the ongoing war in Gaza, the Pentagon on Friday said that US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of additional ballistic missile defence-capable cruisers and destroyers to the European and Middle East regions, adding that it is taking steps to send more land-based ballistic missile defence weapons there.
"Austin has ordered adjustments to U.S. military posture designed to improve US force protection, to increase support for the defence of Israel, and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies," the Pentagon said in a statement.
IRAN-ISRAEL CONFLICT: INDIA'S ADVISORIES
In view of the prevailing tensions in West Asia, India has advised its citizens to exercise caution in the region. On Friday, an advisory by the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv said, "Please exercise caution, avoid necessary travel within the country and stay close to safety shelters. The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation and remains in regular touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all our nationals."
Earlier, the Indian Embassy in Beirut urged Indian nationals to indefinitely defer plans to visit Lebanon amidst the growing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. The mission also 'strongly advised' Indian nationals in Lebanon to leave the country. "Those who remain for any reason are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with Embassy of India in Beirut...," the advisory, issued on Thursday, stated.
(With inputs from agencies)
