The United States has decided to boost its military presence in West Asia amid rising tensions in the region. The shifts come as US leaders worry about escalating violence in West Asia in response to recent attacks by Israel on Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, which triggered threats of retaliation. In a statement, the Defense Department yesterday said that Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also ordered additional ballistic missile defence-capable cruisers and destroyers to the European and West Asia regions and is taking steps to send more land-based ballistic missile defence weapons there.

The Pentagon said, it will move a fighter jet squadron to West Asia and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region. In addition, a US official said that two US Navy destroyers that are currently in the Middle East will be heading north up the Red Sea toward the Mediterranean Sea.

According to the White House, President Joe Biden in a call on Thursday afternoon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed new US military deployments to protect against possible attacks from ballistic missiles and drones.

The assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday and senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut on Tuesday risk escalating the fighting into an all-out regional war, with Iran also threatening to respond after the attack on its territory.

In April, US forces intercepted dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran against Israel and helped shoot down nearly all of them.