Pentagon believes Iran 'should not respond' to Israel's retaliation

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US believes that Iran "should not respond" to Israel's retaliation, said Pentagon on Monday.

"In terms of whether or not Iran does anything, I'm not going to speculate, nor will I discuss intelligence assessments from here," Spokesman Pat Ryder told the reporters.

"I think we, as the US government, have been very clear that we believe Iran should not respond to Israel's retaliation. If they choose to do so, we, of course, will support Israel and their defense," he added.

Late Friday, Pentagon announced that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of additional ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several US Air Force B-52 long-range strike bombers to the Middle East.

"These forces will begin to arrive in coming months as the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group prepares to depart, some of which have already begun to flow into theater, as highlighted by the arrival of the B-52 bombers over the weekend," Ryder said.

The US is deploying these forces to the region to preserve the ability to protect US forces and support the defense of Israel, he stressed.

"We stand ready to support the defense of Israel, and would encourage Iran not to launch any type of retaliatory attack," he added.

Israeli carried out a strike last month against Iranian assets, reportedly targeting missile production facilities and air defense systems, in response to Tehran's missile attacks on Oct. 1.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel's brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group, Hamas, last October.

As the conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, more than 3,000 people have been killed and over 13,500 injured in Israeli attacks since last year, according to Lebanese authorities.