US sends in amphibious warship USS Bataan and support vessels with 2,500 Marines on board into the Eastern Mediterranean and places military bases in Iraq on full alert as Iran attacks Israel
- US Congressional sources say amphibious warship Bataan is leading a US naval task force in the Eastern Mediterranean
- The Bataan has two support ships and together they carry approximately 2,500 Marines, with guided missile destroyers already in the area
- The decision comes after Iran unleashed a drone strike on Israel in response to a drone strike that killed 12 Iranians earlier this month.
The US has sent the Bataan warship and two support ships carrying 2,500 Marines to the eastern Mediterranean after Iran launched a drone strike on Israel.
US Congressional sources say the amphibious warship Bataan is leading a US naval task force in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Bataan has two support ships and together they carry approximately 2,500 Marines. The US also has several guided missile destroyers, including the Carney, in the area.
US bases in Iraq have been put on full alert and will also attempt to shoot down missiles and drones aimed at Israel.
In addition, the US has two destroyers and a cruiser in the Red Sea fully armed with anti-missile weapons and they too have orders to shoot down any Israeli missiles or drones.
US Congressional sources say the amphibious warship Bataan, seen here last December, is leading a US naval task force in the eastern Mediterranean.
US bases in Iraq have been put on full alert and will also attempt to shoot down missiles and drones aimed at Israel
Biden is seen here walking to the Oval Office after returning from Delaware to consult with his national security team
Iran launched the drones on Saturday afternoon Eastern Standard Time and they are expected to take hours to reach their target.
On Saturday afternoon, President Biden rushed back from Delaware for an emergency national security meeting on the issue.
Israel has an “iron dome” security system that can shoot down enemy missiles, although it is unclear whether it will be able to fend off the full force of the Iranian attack.
According to three security sources, dozens of drones flew from Iran over the neighboring Iraqi province of Sulaymaniyah.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said via state media that it had launched “extensive drone strikes on targets in occupied territories.”
Iranian media reported that a second wave of drones has been launched, although details of their current location are not yet known.
IDF spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said it would take several hours for the drones to arrive in Israel, adding that sirens would sound in threatened areas.
The IDF said: ‘The air defense force is on high alert, at the same time as the air force aircraft and naval ships that are on a mission to protect the country’s airspace. The IDF is monitoring all targets.
The US also has several guided missile destroyers in the area, including the Carney, pictured here
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said via state media that it had launched “extensive drone strikes against targets in occupied territories,” seen here
“We ask the public to adhere to the Home Front Command’s instructions and official IDF announcements on this matter.”
Iran had threatened to hit back at Israel following an attack in Syria, which Tehran said was an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has vowed retaliation in the aftermath of the Damascus attack, for which Tel-Aviv has yet to take responsibility.
The April 1 attack destroyed the Iranian consulate building in the city and killed seven Revolutionary Guards, including the two generals.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that Israel “must be punished and will be punished,” days after one of his advisers said Israeli embassies are “no longer safe.”