US military expands air support in the Middle East amidst Iran tensions

The US military cautioned Iran against escalating the continuing crisis on Sunday by announcing that it was stepping up its air assistance capabilities in the Middle East and placing soldiers in a higher state of readiness to deploy there.

The declaration was made two days after President Joe Biden gave the Pentagon instructions to modify American force posture in the Middle East due to growing fears that Iran may respond for Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah’s commander.

Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder stated in a statement, “The United States will do everything possible to prevent Iran and Iranian-backed allies and proxies from exploiting the current circumstances or expanding the current crisis.”

Additionally, he issued a warning, saying that “the United States will take every possible step to defend our people” if Iran or organizations with Tehran’s support “use this moment to harm American personnel or objectives in the region.”

The Pentagon statement, which merely stated that “we are going to strengthen our defensive air-support abilities in the coming days,” provided little hints as to the extent or magnitude of the impending air deployment.

Sunday saw further strikes by Israel on sites in Lebanon, pressuring Hezbollah to launch fresh assaults following the deaths of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the organization’s chief, and many other senior officers in an intensifying military campaign.

After firing across borders for over a year, the attacks have given Hezbollah a startling series of blows, eliminating a large portion of its leadership and exposing serious security vulnerabilities. However, it has also prompted concerns about Washington’s openly stated objectives of keeping the fighting within manageable bounds and protecting US people around the Middle East.

The United States is keeping an eye on Hezbollah’s attempts to take over as a leader, according to White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, “and continues to talk to the Israelis about what appropriate next steps are.” Kirby made this statement on Sunday.