Hamas says its soldiers killed one Israeli hostage and wounded two others, as the White House warned Monday an Iranian attack against Israel could be imminent.
A spokesperson for the Hamas militants, Abu Obaida, blamed the murder by the hostage’s guard on what he said was an Israeli “massacre” of Palestinians. He said two Israeli female hostages were injured in a separate incident.
The news comes as White House national security spokesperson John Kirby warned that Israel and its allies must be prepared for “what could be a significant set of attacks” from Iran as soon as “this week.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Sunday ordered the USS Georgia, a guided missile submarine, to the Middle East and told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to accelerate its transit to the region.
Asked whether the submarine announcement was a message to Iran, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said, “Absolutely.”
“We’re trying to send a message, which is we’re looking to de-escalate the situation, that we’re looking to have capabilities in the region to protect our forces while also support the defense of Israel,” Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday.
Barbara Starr, a senior fellow for communications and policy at the University of Southern California, called the messaging an “important signpost” because submarines aren’t used for preemptive attacks.
“[The] US actually wants to ensure Iran KNOWS it’s there and ready to strike in defense of Israel,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday in response to VOA.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden spoke with leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy on Monday about the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
In a joint statement, the leaders expressed “full support” for efforts to reach a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza. They said this included the call from Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar to renew talks later this week.
The leaders also expressed support for Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and attacks by Iran-backed terrorist groups, calling on Iran to “stand down” while discussing “serious consequences for regional security” should an attack take place.
U.S. defense officials, who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence, said Iranian troops and weapons have been moving into striking positions.
U.S. defense officials saw similar troop movements prior to Iran’s first direct military attack against Israel in April, where Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles. Only a small number of the Iranian weapons hit their Israeli targets, causing minor injuries and damage.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that he spoke with Austin to prepare for a possible large-scale military attack on Israel. Austin said the United States would take every possible step to defend Israel.
On Friday, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards official was quoted as saying supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered Iran to “harshly punish” Israel over the July 31 killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the Oct. 7 terror attack that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Israel’s counteroffensive has killed nearly 40,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, while Israel says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas fighters.
Some information from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse was used in this report.
