US says no change to its military posture in Middle East amid attacks in Lebanon
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — U.S. Marines are seen during a short bay deck shoot exercise, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), in the Sea of Japan, Sept. 1, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Skilah Sanchez via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
By Phil Stewart and Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There are no changes to U.S. military posture in the Middle East, the Pentagon told reporters on Thursday when asked about recent deadly attacks in Lebanon attributed to Israel that blew up Hezbollah radios and pagers.
Lebanon and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group have blamed Israel for attacks on Hezbollah's communications equipment that killed 37 people and wounded around 3,000, overwhelming Lebanese hospitals and wreaking bloody havoc on the militant group.
"I am not tracking any force posture changes in the Eastern Med or in the Central Command area of responsibility," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said in a press briefing.
The Pentagon said that any attack that escalates tensions in the Middle East will not be helpful.
"In pretty much every call the secretary always reiterates the need (that) we want to see regional tensions quell," Singh said when asked about Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin's call on Wednesday with his Israeli counterpart. "We've never wanted to see a wider regional conflict."
Israel has not directly commented on the attacks, which security sources say were probably carried out by its Mossad spy agency.
The Pentagon was pressed on the potential for a Gaza ceasefire deal amid escalating regional tensions and said Washington did not believe a deal was falling apart. The spokesperson added that the U.S. felt as of now the conflict was contained to Gaza.
President Joe Biden laid out a three phase Gaza ceasefire proposal on May 31. The deal has run into obstacles since.
Critics have urged Washington to use its leverage by conditioning military support to Israel but the U.S. has maintained its support for its ally.
The attacks in Lebanon have raised concerns about the widening of Israel's war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies. Israel's assault on Gaza followed a deadly Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Alistair Bell)
