Gallant meeting with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in the Pentagon, on March 26, 2024 (Photo: Ariel Hermoni/IMoD).
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to “take every possible step to defend Israel” during a call on Sunday. This was the seventh such call with his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in recent weeks.
“Reinforcing this commitment, Secretary Austin has ordered the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to accelerate its transit to the Central Command area of responsibility, adding to the capabilities already provided by the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT Carrier Strike Group,” the U.S. Defense Department said in a statement.
In addition, the U.S. took the rare step of announcing the deployment of a guided missile submarine, the USS Georgia, which was ordered to the Middle East.
During their call, Gallant informed Austin that intelligence suggested Iran was actively preparing for a significant attack against Israel in the coming days, according to sources cited by multiple media outlets.
The leaders also discussed “both operational and strategic coordination in light of recent developments,” according to Israel’s readout of the call.
“Minister Gallant detailed IDF readiness and capabilities in the face of threats posed by Iran and its regional proxies and discussed interoperability with the wide range of U.S. military capabilities deployed to the region.”
According to the statement, Gallant thanked the Biden administration for its “leadership and commitment” to continuing the hostage deal negotiations and stressed the urgency of reaching an agreement.
The call between Gallant and Austin came shortly before Hamas announced it would not take part in a high-level summit planned for Thursday, which was intended to be a final step toward reaching an agreement.
Last week, Austin announced a significant buildup of U.S. forces in the region to support Israel in its defense against the anticipated Iranian attack. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group were ordered to leave the Pacific to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group that is currently operating in the Middle East.
The Pentagon announced that it would deploy an additional squadron of Air Force F-22 fighter jets, an unspecified number of Navy cruisers and destroyers capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, and was preparing to send more land-based ballistic missile defense systems if needed.
“Secretary Austin has ordered adjustments to U.S. military posture designed to improve U.S. force protection, to increase support for the defense of Israel and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies,” according to the Pentagon statement.
