By Phil Stewart

AMMAN (Reuters) – The highest U.S. basic started an unannounced go to to the Center East on Saturday to debate methods to keep away from any new escalation in tensions that might spiral right into a broader battle, because the area braces for a threatened Iranian assault in opposition to Israel.

Air Drive Normal C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, started his journey in Jordan and stated he will even journey to Egypt and Israel within the coming days to listen to the views of navy leaders.

His go to comes as the US is making an attempt to clinch an elusive Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, which Brown stated would “help bring down the temperature,” if achieved.

“At the same time, as I talk to my counterparts, what are the things we can do to deter any type of broader escalation and ensure we’re taking all the appropriate steps to (avoid) … a broader conflict,” Brown advised Reuters earlier than touchdown in Jordan.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has been searching for to restrict the fallout from the warfare in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, now in its eleventh month. The battle has leveled big swathes of Gaza, triggered border clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah motion and sparked assaults by Yemen’s Houthis on Crimson Sea transport.

In the meantime, U.S. troops have been attacked by Iran-aligned militia in Syria, Iraq and Jordan. In current weeks, the U.S. navy has been bolstering its forces within the Center East to protect in opposition to main new assaults by Iran or its allies, sending the Abraham Lincoln plane service strike group into the area to exchange the Theodore Roosevelt service strike group.

The USA has additionally despatched an Air Drive F-22 Raptor squadron into the area and deployed a cruise missile submarine.

“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,” Brown stated, saying safeguarding American forces was “paramount.”

IRANIAN RESPONSE

Iran has vowed a extreme response to the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, which passed off as he visited Tehran late final month and which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed or denied its involvement.

Hezbollah has additionally threatened a response after Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut final month.

Iran has not publicly indicated what can be the goal of an eventual response to the Haniyeh assassination however U.S. officers say they’re intently monitoring for any indicators that Iran will make good on its threats.

“We stay postured, watching the (intelligence) and force movements,” Brown stated. On Friday, Iran’s new Overseas Minister Abbas Araqchi advised his French and British counterparts in phone conversations that it was his nation’s proper to retaliate, in accordance with the official IRNA information company.

On April 13, two weeks after two Iranian generals have been killed in a strike on Tehran’s embassy in Syria, Iran unleashed a barrage of a whole bunch of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles in the direction of Israel, damaging two air bases. Israel, the US and different allies managed to destroy nearly all the weapons earlier than they reached their targets.

Brown didn’t speculate about what Iran and its allies may do however stated he hoped to debate totally different situations together 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 stated.

The present warfare within the Gaza Strip started on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities, killing round 1,200 folks and abducting about 250 hostages, in accordance with Israeli tallies.

Since then, Israel’s navy marketing campaign has pushed practically all the Palestinian enclave’s 2.3 million folks from their houses, giving rise to lethal starvation and illness and killing at the least 40,000 folks, in accordance with Palestinian well being authorities.