Pentagon announces new deployments to Middle East region

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of additional ballistic missile defence destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several B-52 long-range strike bombers to the Middle East region.

Pentagon press secretary Major-General Pat Ryder said in a statement on Friday that the deployments are in line with the US' commitments to the protection of its citizens and forces in the Middle East, the defence of Israel, and de-escalation through "deterrence and diplomacy".

The forces will begin to arrive in the region in the coming months to replace the departing USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, he said. "These deployments build on the recent decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defence system to Israel as well as DoD (Department of Defense)'s sustained Amphibious Ready Group Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) posture in the Eastern Mediterranean," he said, adding that these movements demonstrate the "flexible nature of US global defence posture and US capability to deploy world-wide on short notice to meet evolving national security threats".

The Pentagon press secretary said defence secretary Austin "continues to make clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people".

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it has killed Izz al-Din Kassab, a member of Hamas' political bureau and head of its relations and coordination with other factions within the Gaza Strip.

The statement noted that Kassab was killed in an airstrike in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, based on intelligence from the IDF and the Israel Security Agency, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Kassab was a significant source of power and, by virtue of his role, was responsible for the organization's strategic and military relations with other factions in the Gaza Strip," the statement read. "He held the authority to direct the execution of terror attacks against Israel."

It added that Kassab was one of the last high-ranking members of Hamas' political bureau in Gaza. His assistant, Ayman Ayesh, was also killed in the airstrike. Hamas has not confirmed Kassab's death.