US sends guided-missile submarine to support Israel, Gallant informs Austin of impending major Iranian attack

(Patria) - US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East, the Pentagon announced on Sunday, as the region braces for possible attacks from Iran and its allies following the assassination of senior Hamas and Hezbollah members.

While the USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine, was already in the Mediterranean Sea in July, according to a US military social media post, it was a rare move to publicly announce the deployment of a submarine, Reuters reported.

In a statement after Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, the Pentagon said Austin had ordered the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to accelerate its deployment to the region.

"Secretary Austin reiterated the United States' commitment to taking all necessary steps to defend Israel and highlighted the strengthening of US military posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions," the statement added.

The US military had already said it would deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the Middle East as Washington seeks to bolster Israel's defenses.

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Iran-backed Hamas, was killed in Iran's capital Tehran on July 31, in an attack that drew threats of retaliation from Iran against Israel, which is fighting the Palestinian group in Gaza. Iran blamed Israel for the assassination. Israel has not claimed responsibility. The killing of a senior military commander of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr, by Israel in Beirut has fueled concerns that the conflict in Gaza is escalating into a wider Middle East war. Iran has stated that the US bears responsibility for Haniyeh's assassination due to its support for Israel.

Reuters reported that several US and coalition troops were wounded in a drone attack in Syria on Friday, in the second major attack in recent days on US forces amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

At the same time, Tel Aviv informed Washington that Iran is preparing for a major military attack on Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his US counterpart Lloyd Austin that Iran is preparing for a major military attack on Israel in retaliation for the assassination of the Hamas leader in Tehran.

The phone call between Gallant and Austin was first reported online by Axios journalist Barak Ravid on X, and the call was confirmed by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, which clarified that the two ministers discussed operational and strategic coordination and the Israeli military's readiness for Iranian threats.