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The United States is reinforcing its military presence in the Middle East to strengthen its “defensive posture,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday, amid intensifying hostilities between Israel and Iran.
“Over the weekend, I directed the deployment of additional capabilities to the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility,” Hegseth posted on X.
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“Protecting U.S. forces is our top priority, and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region.”
Tensions have sharply escalated since Friday, when Israel launched coordinated airstrikes and drone attacks on multiple Iranian cities, targeting military and nuclear sites. Tehran responded with ballistic missile strikes against Israeli territory."
Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the Iranian attacks. Iranian officials, meanwhile, reported at least 224 people killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the Israeli bombardment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would not worsen the conflict but instead “end” it.
“It’s not going to escalate the conflict — it’s going to end the conflict,” Netanyahu told ABC News. “The ‘forever war’ is what Iran wants, and they’re bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. What Israel is doing is preventing this aggression, standing up to the forces of evil.”
Asked if Israel would target Khamenei directly, Netanyahu said: “We’re doing what we need to do. I’m not going to get into the details, but we’ve targeted their top nuclear scientists.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, said Monday that Tehran does not seek to escalate the war but will respond proportionally to Israeli attacks.
In a message on X, Pezeshkian shared details of a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying: “We do not want to escalate the war, but we will deliver a regrettable response to any form of aggression against Iran.”
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