Interview with John Feiner, Deputy Assistant to the President for NSC at the White House
The United States has repeatedly confirmed its stance to assist Israel's defense, which is highly likely to face retaliatory attacks from Iran and pro-Iran forces.
On the 4th (local time), John Finer, Deputy National Security Advisor at the White House National Security Council (NSC), stated in an interview with CNN that when asked if Iran's retaliation against Israel was imminent, "Israel, our ally, is preparing for all possibilities."
Deputy Advisor Finer explained that the U.S. decision to enhance naval and air forces in the Middle East "is to prepare for the possibility that Iran or other adversaries seeking to harm Israel might respond against Israel."
Currently, concerns about escalation are growing in the Middle East as an assassination of a Hamas leader, a Palestinian armed faction suspected to be carried out by Israel, occurred in Iran. In response, the U.S. Department of Defense has decided to deploy several naval cruisers and destroyers equipped with ballistic missile defense capabilities, as well as one fighter squadron, to the Middle East.
Deputy Advisor Finer referenced the fact that when Iran launched a large-scale airstrike against Israel in April to retaliate for the killing of a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official, the U.S. supported Israel's defense, emphasizing, "We are prepared to do so again if necessary."
He also expressed the position that he does not want ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas to be disrupted by external factors and hopes that both sides will return to the negotiating table.
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