Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin updated his Israeli counterpart on Thursday about the bolstering of U.S. forces in the Middle East in the face of threats from Iran and its terrorist proxies.
“I called Israeli Minister of Defense [Yoav] Gallant today to brief him on U.S. force posture adjustments and reinforce my ironclad support for Israel’s defense,” Austin wrote in an X post.
“The U.S. F-22 Raptors that arrived in the region today represent one of many efforts to deter aggression, defend Israel and protect U.S. forces in the region. I also stressed the importance of concluding a ceasefire deal in Gaza that releases the hostages,” the American defense chief continued.
According to the readout of the call provided by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Austin also updated Gallant on measures to “deter aggression by Iran, Lebanese Hizballah and other Iran-aligned militias.”
In addition to the F-22 Raptors, they discussed the deployment of more anti-ballistic-missile defense assets. The Pentagon announced a week ago that it was sending additional warships and fighter jets to the region to defend Israel and U.S. interests.
The squadron of United States Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets arrived in the Middle East on Thursday to “mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or its proxies,” the U.S. military confirmed.
In an earlier statement, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the geographic command responsible for the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia, said that the planes were dispatched to “address” Tehran’s anticipated attack.
Austin stressed in the call that “while a war is not inevitable and that de-escalation is the preferred course of action, the U.S. would defend Israel if it were attacked.”
The conversation comes as the U.S. military continues to work with Israel and other regional partners to prepare for attacks by Iran and its terrorist proxies including Hezbollah, which has promised an attack in response to the killing of one of its top commanders, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut last week.
But Tehran is reportedly reconsidering the nature of its response to the targeted killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital last week.
Gallant and Austin also spoke earlier this week and CENTCOM commander Gen. Erik Kurilla visited Israel twice this week to advance defensive cooperation against the threats by Iran and its terrorist proxies.
