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Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and other warships cross the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf, November 26, 2023. /CFP
The U.S. decision last week to shore up its military presence in the Middle East is raising fears about an all-out regional war, a lecturer from Georgetown University said.
Israel could not have carried out its "assaults and atrocities" in its 10-month war against Hamas if the U.S. did not send armament to Israel and offer diplomatic support as well as military protection, Abdullah Al-Arian, an associate professor of history at Georgetown University, told China Media Group.
As a result of the U.S. reinforcing its military deployment in the region, "there's far more fear that this could escalate into an all-out conflict," he said.
The U.S. said on August 2 it will deploy additional fighter jets and navy warships to the Middle East after a suspected Israeli attack killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, further escalating tensions amid a string of killings of senior officials of Iran-aligned groups.
"(Defense Secretary Lloyd) Austin has ordered adjustments to U.S. military posture designed to improve U.S. force protection, to increase support for the defense of Israel, and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies," the Pentagon said in a statement.
Iran has pledged to "punish" Israel for Haniyeh's death, without specifying how. On April 13, Iran launched its first-ever strike on Israeli territory in retaliation for an attack on its diplomatic compound in Syria.
Briefly before April 13, the U.S. also increased its military presence in the region.