In a statement from the Department of Defense (DoD), Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder explained that the U.S. has had to deal with multiple threats surrounding them these past two days.
For starters, the crew of the guided missile destroyer USS Carney, operating in the northern Red Sea, shot down three land attack cruise missiles and several drones launched by Houthi forces in Yemen, which the Pentagon claims appeared to be headed towards Israel.
This action was a demonstration of the integrated air and missile defense architecture that we built in the Middle East and that we are prepared to utilize whenever necessary to protect our partners and our interests.
We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting, but they were launched heading north along the Red Sea potentially towards targets in Israel.
He explained
Ryder then went on to detail that U.S. bases were attacked by drone strikes in Syria and Iraq. “U.S. and coalition forces [apart of the al-Tanf garrison] in Syria engaged one drone destroying it while the other drone impacted the base resulting in minor injuries to coalition forces,” he said. The other airbase at al-Assad was put on high alert and issued a shelter in place alarm, but “no attack occurred, sadly, a U.S. civilian contractor suffered a cardiac episode while sheltering and passed away shortly thereafter,” Ryder noted.
Furthermore, U.S. forces engaged and destroyed a drone in northern Iraq, according to Ryder, but did not specify what the response will be.
I will say that we will take all necessary actions to defend U.S. and coalition forces against any threat. Any response, should one occur, will come at a time in a manner of our choosing.
The General said
Ryder again discussed the nation’s deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group will soon be joining the Ford, “to send a strong message intended to deter a wider conflict, to bolster regional stability, and, of course, to make it clear that we will protect and defend our national security interests.”
The U.S. is also sending ‘precision-guided munitions, such as joint direct attack munitions, small-diameter bombs, 155-millimeter artillery ammunition and other categories of critical equipment,’ the Pentagon said in its press release, and the United is ‘providing Iron Dome interceptors from stocks the United States has in Israel.’
We’ll be flying additional Iron Dome interceptors so that Israel has the capabilities they need to sustain their defense systems and protect their citizens and from rocket attacks.
Ryder also noted
But the U.S. is sending even more than Ryder had indicated initially.
The Navy Times reported yesterday U.S. 6th Fleet command-and-control ship Mount Whitney has been dispatched to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, and will link up with the aircraft carriers. The ship was based near Italy and has been in service for 52 years.
Also, the amphibious assault ship Bataan, along with its embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is headed to Israel, Pentagon Spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said to the press on Tuesday.
They are there so that [if] the [defense] secretary and the president make a decision that they are needed, they are in the region, but I’m not going to get into specific operational details at this time.
SEE: US Set To Send 2,000 Troops And Officials To Israel To Help Fight Hamas
Moreover, F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets have also arrived in Israeli-controlled territory.
The 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility to bolster the US posture and enhance air operations throughout the Middle East.
The U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) said on X
But Russia, having already been dealing with the United States and NATO-supplied weaponry in Ukraine, is not taking too kindly to what the U.S. is doing in Israel, and has now deployed some of their fighter jets closer to the region as a show of force as well.
Yesterday, according to Info Brics:
Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly announced that Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) will deploy MiG-31K/I (interceptors modified into strike fighters) armed with 9-A-7660 “Kinzhal” air-launched hypersonic missiles (usually given the unconfirmed Kh-47M2 designation) in response to large-scale US naval deployments.
Although this doesn’t immediately indicate that the jets are on combat duty to tackle the possible involvement of US forces, the “Kinzhal’s” range and speed are more than enough to jeopardize American assets.
The MiG-31s armed with “Kinzhals” and flying over the Black Sea cover the entirety of the Eastern Mediterranean without going anywhere near American CSGs. Namely, although estimates vary significantly, the “Kinzhal’s” range is up to 2000 km, meaning that the MiG-31K/I strike fighters are capable of launching the hypersonic missiles well beyond the range of any US ship-based air defenses, interceptors or similar assets.
Bearing all of the U.S. supplied weaponry, carriers, troops being sent to Israel in mind, Russia believes there is no real reason for them to be there, and views this as a threat to Russian allies in the regions. The report goes on to note:
As previously mentioned, all of the aforementioned assets are a threat to Russian forces deployed in the area, as well as to Moscow’s allies, particularly Syria. It should be noted that the forces Washington DC sent so far are absolutely unnecessary against Hamas. In fact, US President Joe Biden himself stated that Israel has “one of the finest fighting forces” and that it’s more than capable of dealing with Hamas. This leaves Russia, Iran and other countries in the Middle East with only one logical conclusion – the newly arrived US forces are there for other reasons. Apart from that, the deployment also coincides with the increase in activities of NATO-backed terrorist groups in Syria. This is particularly true for Turkish-supported jihadists that are now escalating their illegal activities in Syria, particularly in the terrorist-occupied northwestern part of the country, where they could launch offensive operations.
Washington DC could very well use the Israel-Gaza conflict as an opportunity to attack Syria or at the very least Iranian and pro-Iranian forces in the region, which could deeply destabilize Damascus. Moscow is committed to the preservation of Syria, not only because of its strategically important military facilities there, but also because NATO would inevitably turn the unfortunate country into yet another global hotbed of terrorism if President Bashar al-Assad is ever overthrown. It should be noted that Turkey is also deeply involved in this, despite its recent rhetoric condemning Israeli actions in Gaza. And while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan keeps fuming at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, behind the scenes, the two countries are still maintaining close ties. If Ankara had the interests of Palestinians in mind, it wouldn’t coordinate the terrorist groups it supports to escalate in Syria.
As for the Russian military, its deployment of MiG-31s armed with the “Kinzhal” air-launched hypersonic missiles is a prime example of how a very small-scale force can provide a massive asymmetric advantage over much larger US forces. The missile’s blistering speed of up to Mach 12 (or possibly even higher) is a virtually insurmountable obstacle for any air or missile defense system. In fact, despite repeated claims by the mainstream propaganda machine that the Kiev regime forces shot down at least half a dozen “Kinzhals”, the evidence for this is either non-existent or simply laughable. However, the Russian hypersonic missile did destroy at least one battery of the much-touted American “Patriot” SAM (surface-to-air missile) system back in mid-May. More recently, “Kinzhal” was made even more readily available to the VKS, as its Su-34 supersonic, multirole fighter-bombers can also use them now.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Unlike the Russia-Ukraine war that required months of propaganda to get the masses to care about it, this latest Israel-Hamas war happened quite rapidly and not as much greasing of the wheels was needed; though that greasing has been incremental year-over-year already, so most people already had some sort of opinion on it.
This war is very rapidly expanding quite obviously, less than two weeks into it, with all signs pointing towards something much bigger brewer. Buckle-up for a wild ride ahead.
[7] And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. [8] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. Mark 13:7-8
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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We are in The Hunt for Red October.
US civilian contractor suffered cardiac episode -vaccine related??
Remember the bombings of US bases in Lebanon in October 1983, isn’t history repeating??
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombings
WW3; here we go. Not to worry, it’s God’s will as the KJV1611 has stated, God takes care of His own.