US mobilizes air and sea power to defend Israel from Iranian missiles

U.S. fighter jets, Navy destroyers and ground-based defense systems were already in position before the Iranian strikes began, having been deployed to the region last week as reports of a unilateral strike by Israel were breaking.

By Jewish Breaking News

Iran has warned it will target Israel’s western allies in the region, including bases and ships, if they continue helping the IDF intercept its missile attacks.

“This confrontation will not end with last night’s limited actions and Iran’s strikes will continue, and this action will be very painful and regrettable for the aggressors,” Fars reports, citing senior Iranian military officials warning that the war would “spread in the coming days to all areas occupied by the Israeli regime and American bases in the region.”

Senior White House officials tell the Washington Post the U.S. military is operating in the air, on land and at sea to shoot down Iranian missiles fired at Israel, pulling Washington deeper into the fourth day of fighting.

Iranian missiles struck Israel’s Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa before dawn on Monday, killing at least eight people and destroying homes.

Missile fragments were reported to have caused damage to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, a school in Tel Aviv, as well as homes in Bnei Brak, Haifa and Petah Tikva.

Five civilians were killed and over 90 were injured. The latest fatalities in Israel, reported by Israel’s national emergency services, raised its death toll to 21 since Friday.

Iran has fired about 200 ballistic missiles in four waves and more than 200 drones at Israeli territory.

U.S. fighter jets, Navy destroyers and ground-based defense systems were already in position before the Iranian strikes began, having been deployed to the region last week as reports of a unilateral strike by Israel were breaking.

Navy commanders have ordered the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner to sail from the western Mediterranean toward the eastern Mediterranean, with a second destroyer also moving forward.

The U.S. operates several Patriot missile batteries across the region, repositioning them as threats develop.

At least one known THAAD missile defense battery is currently stationed in Israel, which requires nearly 100 soldiers to operate six truck-mounted launchers, radar, and fire control equipment.

It has been shooting down Houthi missiles from Yemen for months. U.S. troop presence in the Middle East has increased to about 40,000, up from the usual 30,000.

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is positioned in the Arabian Sea, while the USS Nimitz and USS George Washington could head to the region if ordered, according to the report.

American fighter jets are also patrolling Middle Eastern skies to protect personnel and installations, while air bases in the region have implemented additional security precautions.