Skip to main content
Analysis

US, Israel prepare to face multifront attack as Iran vows revenge

After the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran this week, presumably by Israel, the US military has been preparing defensive actions, including intercepting barrages of missiles and drones from multiple fronts.

OAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images
The guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (R) sails next to Colombian warships ARC Narino and ARC Victoria near the Colombian coast in the Pacific Ocean on June 29, 2024. — JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images

This is an excerpt from Security Briefing, Al-Monitor's weekly newsletter covering defense and conflict developments in the Middle East. To get Security Briefing in your inbox, sign up here.

WASHINGTON — As Israel prepares for Iran’s anticipated retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Biden administration officials have been busy readying contingency plans such as potentially evacuating US citizens from the region.

The US Navy has assembled more than a dozen warships across the region’s waterways, including the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, currently in the Gulf of Oman, and the USS Wasp amphibious ready group with 4,000 embarked sailors and Marines, currently in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Biden administration has pledged to defend Israel should it come under attack. Pentagon officials say the array of warships, fighter aircraft and air defenses across the region are ready.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish