The U.S. has deployed at least 12 warships to the Middle East, including the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, amphibious assault teams and over 4,000 Marines and sailors, in response to escalating tensions in the region following the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing a Pentagon official.
According to the report, destroyers have been positioned in both the Persian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean. The U.S. has redirected its warships from the Red Sea, where it combats Houthi missile and drone attacks in Yemen to protect commercial ships and support Israel.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged "all parties" to cease escalating actions, a message interpreted as directed toward Israel following the killings of Shukr and Haniyeh. When asked if the U.S. had given Israel a "blank check" for operations in the Middle East, Blinken responded, "The current trajectory is more conflict, more violence, more suffering and more insecurity. It is vital to break this cycle, beginning with a cease-fire in Gaza."
Speaking to reporters in Mongolia, Blinken emphasized that reaching a cease-fire requires parties to stop taking actions that escalate tensions and to find reasons to agree rather than delay or reject an agreement. His comments follow Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision to add two clauses to a cease-fire proposal, which he later denied. Israel eventually presented an ambiguous stance regarding the vetting of gunmen returning to northern Gaza. Netanyahu accused Hamas of adding 29 new clauses to the agreement.
Over the past day, Blinken has conducted phone conversations with leaders across the Middle East, attempting to salvage cease-fire efforts and curb expected retaliations from Iran and Hezbollah to the assassinations.
According to Israeli sources, Jerusalem has communicated a stern warning to Hezbollah through Western and regional intermediaries following the recent assassination that any massive attack on Israeli civilians will lead to war, and Israel intends to target fighters rather than combat-supporting infrastructure. Israel urged Hezbollah to adopt a similar focus.
Fuad Shukr, who was killed on Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's Dahiyeh district, is scheduled to be buried on Thursday after a funeral in the Hezbollah stronghold. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to deliver a speech at the ceremony around 2 p.m. UTC, likely from a secure location.
Meanwhile, a funeral for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a strike attributed to Israel in Tehran, took place in the Iranian capital on Thursday morning. The service was attended by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and senior Iranian officials. Haniyeh's body is expected to be transferred to Doha, Qatar, for burial on Friday.