The U.S. is shifting more troops and other military assets to the Middle East to defend Israel and American forces against what is expected to be a complex attack by Iran and its proxies, according to defense officials.

The movement of what will likely be a mix of fighter aircraft, ships and air defense systems would mark the second time since April that the Pentagon acted quickly to defend Israel after it conducted targeted assassinations of Iranian officials and militant groups they support.

The U.S. forces in the region include ground and air forces as well as newly deployed destroyers, amphibious ships and an aircraft carrier to help repel attacks from Iran, Yemen or Lebanon.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is preparing “multiple forthcoming force posture moves to bolster force protection for U.S. forces” and Israel, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said Friday.

The mobilization comes after the assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in Beirut and Tehran over the past week. Israel has claimed credit for the former but has not commented publicly on the latter.

The assassinations are an embarrassment for Iran’s leaders, particularly the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran at a government-run guest house that was supposed to be highly secure.

Concern is high that Iran’s response to the killing of Haniyeh and high-ranking Hezbollah operative Fuad Shukr in Beirut will provoke a more unpredictable response than Iran’s massive April 13 assault on Israel, which was telegraphed in advance in a way that enabled the U.S., France and the U.K. to help Israel repel over 300 missiles and drones.

One U.S. defense official, who was granted anonymity to discuss an evolving issue, said details about the increased military assets are expected soon, given the unpredictability of the Iranian response.

In a phone call Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Joe Biden said the U.S. would provide additional military assets to “support Israel’s defense against threats,” according to a summary of the call.

Iranian proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen could hit Israel from multiple directions simultaneously, complicating defenses already strained by the ongoing war in Gaza and months of missile and rocket attacks from in Lebanon.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah suggested this week that a coordinated attack on Israel could be in the plans. “Because they have picked a fight with everyone, they don’t know where the response will come from,” he said. “The response will come separately or coordinated.”

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi on Thursday threatened a “military response to these crimes, which are shameless and dangerous, and constitute a major escalation by the Israeli enemy.”

The U.S. carried out what it called a “self-defense” strike on Tuesday in Iraq, targeting Iran-backed militants who were preparing to launch a drone attack near an American base.

[img]https://www.politico.com/dims4/default/3109e72/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5784x3856+0+0/resize/630x420!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F6d%2F87%2Fdada76404aa5b34fb2a4749e0bca%2Fhttps-delivery-gettyimages.com%2Fdownloads%2F1971231759[/img]

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/02/us-military-middle-east-iran-israel-00172524