Washington (United States), June 13 (LaPresse) – The United States is moving military assets, including warships, to the Middle East in response to Israeli attacks on Iran and the risk of retaliation by Tehran, two American officials said on Friday. The guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, equipped with ballistic missile defense systems, has been redeployed from the western Mediterranean to the eastern Mediterranean. A second destroyer is ready to move on the White House's order. US President Donald Trump has called a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the situation. US forces in the region have already taken precautionary measures, including the voluntary evacuation of military family members from local bases. Currently, about 40,000 American soldiers are deployed in the region, up from the usual 30,000. The peak was reached in October 2024 with 43,000 troops following tensions between Israel and Iran and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. The Navy has additional assets, including carrier strike groups: the USS Carl Vinson is in the Arabian Sea, while the carriers Nimitz and George Washington could be redeployed if necessary. The reinforcement follows the deployment ordered by former President Joe Biden after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Gaza conflict. On October 1, 2024, US warships fired a dozen interceptor missiles to defend Israel from an Iranian attack with over 200 missiles.
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