The United States’ top general began an unannounced visit to the Middle East Saturday to discuss ways to avoid all-out regional war as Israel braces for a threatened Iranian attack.
US Air Force General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began his trip in Jordan and said he will also travel to Egypt and Israel in the coming days to hear the perspectives of military leaders. Though the nature and timing of Iran’s promised attack remains unclear, Brown said the US is closely monitoring its movements and sending reinforcements with the aim of deterring the ayatollahs.
Brown is expected to meet with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
His visit comes as a Hamas delegation arrived for ceasefire-for-hostages talks in Cairo Saturday, a day after Israel’s delegation attended talks there with mediators Egypt, Qatar and the US.
Brown said that if a deal is reached, it could “help bring down the temperature.” Iran has indicated it is awaiting the talks’ outcome as it weighs its attack plans.
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Brown told Reuters he would discuss with his counterparts in the region “the things we can do to deter any type of broader escalation.”
Referring to US military buildup in the region, Brown said, “We brought in additional capability to send a strong message to deter a broader conflict… but also to protect our forces should they be attacked.” Safeguarding American forces was “paramount,” said the general.
Iran has threatened to attack Israel in response to the July 31 killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which Israel has neither confirmed nor denied carrying out. On Friday, Iran’s new Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi told his French and British counterparts in telephone conversations that it was his country’s right to retaliate, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Nominee for foreign minister Abbas Araghchi speaks in an open session of Iran’s parliament during the second day of debate about the 19 ministers proposed by President Masoud Pezeshkian, at the Majlis in Tehran, August 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Meanwhile, Iran-aligned forces have attacked US troops in Syria, Iraq and Jordan. Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels have also wreaked havoc on Red Sea shipping, triggering airstrikes from a US-led coalition.
The US military has bolstered its forces in the Middle East to guard against major attacks by Iran and its proxies.
In recent weeks, the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group entered the region to replace the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group. The US has also sent an Air Force F-22 Raptor squadron into the region and deployed a cruise missile submarine.
Iran has not publicly indicated what would be the target of an eventual response to the Haniyeh assassination, but US officials say they are closely monitoring for any signs that Iran will make good on its threats.
“We stay postured, watching the [intelligence] and force movements,” Brown said.
Glad to host LtGen Issa Al Mazrouei, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces at the Pentagon for a Counterpart Visit. As a key Gulf partner, our critical interoperability is a pillar for a secure and prosperous Middle East. @modgoveae @UAEEmbassyUS @CENTCOM pic.twitter.com/K82kUdpw3z
— General CQ Brown, Jr. (@GenCQBrownJr) August 23, 2024
Brown did not speculate about what Iran and its allies might do, but said he hoped to discuss different scenarios with his Israeli counterpart.
“Particularly, as I engage with my Israeli counterpart, how they might respond, depending on the response that comes from Hezbollah or from Iran,” Brown said.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah fired some 100 rockets toward Israel on Friday, as the Iran-backed terror group threatens a large-scale attack in response to the killing of its deputy chief Fuad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut, hours before the blast that killed Haniyeh.
Iran launched its first-ever attack on Israel on the night of April 13-14, two weeks after two Iranian generals were killed in a strike on Tehran’s embassy in Syria.
Israel, the United States and other allies managed to destroy almost all of Iran’s roughly 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles before they reached their targets. Two Israeli air bases were damaged, and a 7-year-old Bedouin girl was seriously injured.
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