US moves warships to Middle East as regional tensions rise

The US decision to send warships and fighter squadron to the Middle East will mark perhaps the largest movement of US forces to the region since the early days of the Gaza war, when the Pentagon sent two carrier strike groups toward the Middle East in a very public warning to regional militant groups not to expand the fighting.

The region is bracing for an Iranian retaliation after the country’s supreme leader vowed to attack Israel for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week. Israel has not commented on the killing. 

US officials said the anticipated Iranian attack could occur in the coming days, and the US is closely watching the region for any indications of how it might play out. Officials said the attack may be similar to the barrage of ballistic missiles and drones Iran launched against Israel in April, but it could also be larger and more complex, coordinated with Iranian proxies in the region. 

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hinted that a coordinated attack on Israel could be in the works after Israel assassinated one of the Iran-backed group’s top commanders in Beirut less than 24 hours before the killing of Haniyeh. 

“Because they have picked a fight with everyone, they don’t know where the response will come from … the response will come separately or coordinated,” he said in a speech Thursday.

USS Abraham Lincoln sails the Pacific Ocean on August 2.

The United States is sending a carrier strike group, a fighter squadron and additional warships to the Middle East as the region braces for possible Iranian retaliation to the killing of a senior Hamas leader in Tehran earlier this week.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group, which is currently operating in the Gulf of Oman, according to a statement from deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh.

Destroyers and cruisers capable of ballistic missile defense will also be sent to the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea. The statement does not say which warships have been sent, but two US destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea took part in intercepting the barrage of strikes Iran launched against Israel in April.

Austin also ordered the deployment of a fighter squadron to the region, Singh said.

The US already has the USS Wasp amphibious assault ship in the region, which operates with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, capable of carrying out an evacuation of US citizens in Lebanon should it be ordered.

Iran has vowed to attack Israel for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel has not commented on the killing.

Dutch airline KLM is canceling its planned flights to Tel Aviv until at least October in response to the “security situation the region,” a press officer for KLM said in a statement to CNN.

The airline previously announced it was canceling flights into the Israeli capital until August 31.

KLM joins a growing list of international airlines suspending flights into and out of the Middle East. United, Delta, Lufthansa and ITA Airways have all announced flight cancelations over the last week, citing security concerns.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office denied a report on Israel’s Channel 12 Friday that claimed there was an argument between Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s top security officials over negotiations for a hostage and ceasefire deal on Wednesday.

Channel 12 reported that at a tense meeting of Israel’s security council on Wednesday night, senior officials had urged Netanyahu to take a hostage and ceasefire deal.

The report claimed that Mossad Director David Barnea said, “There is a deal ready and that Israel must take it.” The news agency also reported Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet, had said it appeared to him that the prime minister did not want the outline of the deal on the table.

Netanyahu had banged on the table and said the team didn’t “know how to conduct negotiations,” the report added. 

Channel 12 did not cite its sources, and CNN has not independently confirmed the reporting.

The prime minister’s office immediately denied the story, saying, “The report is incorrect,” according to a statement.

Netanyahu was committed to securing the hostages’ release and had told negotiators to leave for Cairo this weekend, his office added.

CNN previously reported that Netanyahu was adding 11th-hour demands to Israel’s most recent response to the ceasefire negotiations, including reneging on previous Israeli concessions.

People pray in the grounds close to the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque during the funeral of Ismail Haniyeh in Doha, Qatar, on August 2.

Funeral prayers were held for Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh before he was buried Friday in Doha, Qatar. He was killed in an overnight strike in Tehran earlier this week.

He is the third high-profile figure in Iran-backed militant groups in the Middle East to be killed in recent weeks, raising fears that Israel’s war with the Palestinian militant group in Gaza could spiral into a fully-fledged Middle East conflict.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday it was Iran’s “duty” to avenge Haniyeh’s death, an assassination that Iran blamed on Israel. According to the New York Times, which cited information provided by three Iranian officials, Khamenei issued an order for Iran to “strike Israel directly” following the killing. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied a role in Haniyeh’s death.

Here’s what else you need to know:

Hamas called for the “day of rage” to coincide with Haniyeh’s burial: “We call for prayers today, Friday, for the soul of the Mujahid leader Ismail Haniyeh, in all mosques in the world. ⁠Let Friday be a day of overwhelming anger in condemnation of the assassination and rejection of the genocide in the Gaza Strip,” a statement from the Palestinian militant group said.

Israelis brace for attacks amid tensions: Israelis have been provided with guidance on what to do in the event of attacks on the country, while supermarkets are reporting a spike in sales for basic goods. The Jerusalem municipality distributed a file with a list of parking lots that will be used as shelters and a list of bomb shelters. It said residents must be able to reach bomb shelters in 90 seconds. Residents are also advised to stock enough water and food for three days and to buy batteries and flashlights in addition to medications.

US response to Iran: The United States is ready to move resources to the Middle East if needed, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said. Noting Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei’s statement about avenging Haniyeh’s death, Kirby said the US has to “make sure we’ve got the right resources and capabilities in the region.” Kirby said Friday that that support would likely come in the form of both personnel and hardware in the region.

Flight disruptions: There have been disruptions to flights in and out of Israel. Air India is the international carrier to suspend services to Tel Aviv. Other carriers that have suspended flights, including Italian flag carrier ITA Airways and American carriers United and Delta. Germany’s Lufthansa Group extended flight suspensions to Lebanon’s capital Beirut until at least Monday.

Israel forces detain an Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque: Sheikh Ikrima Sabri was detained at his house in East Jerusalem for interrogation. This happened hours after Sabri briefly made a prayer during Friday’s sermon that God accept Haniyeh as a “martyr” and announced an absentee funeral prayer for him and others who have been killed will be held after the sermon, which did not involve any calls for violence. The word “martyr” has been frequently used to refer to Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and was used in the same sermon in reference to killed Palestinians. Sabri did not violate any laws and there’s no reason for his detention legally, his lawyer said, adding that this is “political persecution.”

Projectiles from southern Gaza: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday that a projectile fired from southern Gaza fell in an open area near the Israeli town of Kiryat Malakhi, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the enclave. There are no reports of casualties or damage. The launch of rockets from Gaza has become less frequent in recent months, and very few have traveled such a great distance. IDF also said Hezbollah on Friday tried to launch rockets toward Arab al-Aramashe, an Israeli village close to the Lebanese border, but that the rockets did not cross into Israel.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will direct “multiple force posture moves” in the Middle East ahead of a possible attack by Iran on Israel, according to the Pentagon.

Austin spoke to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday and “informed the minister of additional measures to include ongoing and future defense force posture changes that the department will take to support the defense of Israel,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Friday.

Singh declined to detail the potential moves, saying that Austin would be directing those moves “at a later time.” But the US has a number of naval assets already in the region, including a carrier strike group in the Gulf of Oman and amphibious assault ships and destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean.

A US official separately told CNN that the additional capabilities would likely include more air defense systems to help protect Israel and US forces from a potential Iranian attack. 

Singh noted that there “could be additional” US troops that enter the region to help bolster US forces there but declined to outline specific capabilities or units that may be deployed. 

CNN reported on Thursday the Pentagon discussed with US Central Command what adjustments to make to US force posture in the region. The officials said an Iranian response could occur in the coming days.

The body of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran, was buried in Qatar on Friday after a funeral procession that was attended by thousands in Doha.

A video by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency shows the burial of Haniyeh, which was attended by a relatively small number of people, including Iranian officials.

The video also shows Hamas’ senior leader, Khaled Meshaal, in attendance.

Palestinians salvages belongings from the rubble of a residential block after it was destroyed in an Israeli strike in Gaza on July 27.

A relief worker has warned that Palestinians in Gaza are trapped in a cycle of repeated displacement, siege and dire living conditions amid the Israeli offensive. 

“I’ve never seen so many compounding horrors as I’ve seen in Gaza,” said Liz Allcock, the head of protection at the UK-based NGO, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).

Her testimony was shared with CNN by MAP, after her recent deployment to the ravaged strip. 

Three-hundred days of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza has obliterated entire neighborhoods, wiped out families and deepened a humanitarian crisis. At least 1.9 million Palestinians – almost the entire population – have been displaced, according to the UN. In July, the UN warned of widespread famine across the strip, and relief workers say Israeli aid restrictions mean they are unable to support Palestinians. 

Raghad Ezzat Hamouda, a Palestinian displaced in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, told CNN that the past nine months have been engulfed by “fear and terror.” 

“This situation has become very dangerous, as hundreds of children die every day,” the 19-year-old said on Friday.  

“My message to CNN readers is that they do not become accustomed to scenes of crimes and the scenes of children’s body parts,” she added. “Convey our voice to the world.” 

Israel forces have detained the Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque and former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Ikrima Sabri at his house in East Jerusalem for interrogation — hours after he mourned Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh during Friday prayer.

One of Sabri’s lawyers, Khalid Zabarqeh, told CNN the 85-year-old did not violate any laws in his sermon. “Legally, there is no reason for his detention,” he said, adding this is a “political persecution.”

Sabri’s detention came after Israeli Minister of Interior Moshe Arbel called to revoke his residency in a letter to the attorney general on Friday, arguing he “does not identify with the state [of Israel] and its citizens, but on the contrary, seeks to destroy them.”

The Israeli police also issued a statement saying it is opening an investigation following the Friday prayer to “determine whether there is a suspicion of incitement against the relevant authorities.” Ben Gvir welcomed the investigation and described Sabri’s speech as “inflammatory.”

Some context: During Friday’s sermon, Sabri briefly made a prayer that God accept Ismail Haniyeh as a “martyr” and announced an absentee funeral prayer for him and others who have been killed will be held after the sermon, which did not involve any calls for violence.

The word “martyr” has been frequently used to refer to Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and was used in the same sermon in reference to killed Palestinians.

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland speaks at the UN headquarters in New York in February.

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, called for de-escalation in the Middle East after Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on Wednesday.

Wennesland called for more effort to prevent any “further deterioration of the situation.”

He said it is “crucial that we act decisively and collectively to address the immediate threats and lay the groundwork for a lasting peace,” adding “I will continue my active engagement with all the relevant parties to support peace and stability in the region.” 

Some context: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday it was Iran’s “duty” to avenge the death in Tehran of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh, an assassination that Iran blamed on Israel. According to the New York Times, which cited information provided by three Iranian officials, Khamenei issued an order for Iran to “strike Israel directly” following the killing. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied a role in Haniyeh’s death.