Middle East Monitor / August 2, 2024
US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, informed his Israeli counterpart about Washington’s “future defensive force posture changes” in the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.
“Secretary Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defence (Yoav) Gallant this morning about the destabilising threats posed by Iran, its partners and proxies.
“The Secretary reiterated ironclad support for Israel’s security and informed the Minister of additional measures to include ongoing and future defensive force posture changes that the department will take to support the defence of Israel,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary, Sabrina Singh, told reporters.
Austin and US President Joe Biden have engaged in close conversations about future changes, Singh added.
“The Secretary will be directing upcoming force posture moves to bolster our force protection. So, there’s a commitment that was made in the call with the President and (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu, in terms of what specific units, what specific capabilities.
“That’s something that the Secretary will decide. I don’t have an exact timeline of when that decision will be made, but that was a commitment that the President reiterated to Prime Minister Netanyahu,” she said.
When asked what specific assets will be moving to the region, Singh said: “I just don’t have that for you right now.”
On Thursday, Biden and Netanyahu discussed US military deployments to support Israel against various threats in a phone call, with Biden reaffirming his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran.
“The President discussed efforts to support Israel’s defence against threats, including against ballistic missiles and drones, to include new defensive US military deployments,” the White House said in a statement.
