The United States is on alert regarding the risk of escalation in the region. While in Iran symbolic funerals are held for Haniyeh’s death.
The Pentagon has announced the transfer of a fighter squadron to the region and the permanence of an aircraft carrier in Mediterranean waters. The announcement was made after the US president, Joe Bidensaid he was “very concerned” about the prospect of an escalation of violence in the area.
“Secretary Lloyd Austin will lead the next moves to strengthen the protection of US forces throughout the region, provide great support to the defense of Israel and ensure that the United States is prepared to respond to this evolving crisis. As for the details, I can’t tell you anything at this time,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said.
Austin has reportedly ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group, which is currently operating in the Gulf of Oman. Destroyers and cruisers capable of defending ballistic missiles will also be sent to the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea.
Due to the escalation in the area, many companies and countries are taking measures such as closure of embassies o flight cancellation to the area. It is the case of Iberia which, according to ANSA, has canceled flights to the Middle East.
Symbolic funerals for Haniyeh and arrests in Iran
Palestinians continue to remember Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, killed on Tuesday night in Tehran (Iran). In Beirut, Lebanon, hundreds of Palestinians held a symbolic funeral for Haniyeh.
Meanwhile, according to the ‘New York Times’, At least twenty people were arrested for their alleged complicity in the murder of the leader of the Islamist movement. Among those detained are also officials from Tehran’s intelligence services, high-ranking military personnel and members of the staff of the residence where the explosion occurred, run by the Revolutionary Guards.
