JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered an aircraft carrier heading to the Middle East to sail more quickly as tensions mount in the region following high-profile assassinations blamed on Israel and the threat of retaliation.
Additionally, the Defense Secretary has ordered the USS Georgia guided missile submarine to the Central Command region.
Lloyd gave the orders on the basis of his talk with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant Sunday.
Austin reiterated the United States' commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of U.S. military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions, the Pentagon said.
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, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
The U.S. Defense Department said earlier that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group will replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which is currently anchored in the U.S. Central Command region.
The Defense ministers of the two countries also discussed Israel's operations in Gaza and the importance of mitigating civilian harm, progress towards securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza, and US-Israel joint efforts to deter aggression by Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and other pro-Iran groups across the region.
Within hours of the talks, Hezbollah militants fired dozens of rockets toward northern Israel.
Israel Defense Forces said, it did not cause any casualties.
Meanwhile, a dozen people, including six children, were injured in an Israeli air strike targeting southern Lebanon, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported.
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