US deploys 12 warships to Mideast as regional tensions soar

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 Fouad Shukur, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing a Pentagon official.

According to the report, destroyers have been positioned in both the Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean. The U.S. has redirected its warships from the Red Sea, where it combats Houthi missile and drone attacks from Yemen to protect commercial ships and support Israel.