By Idrees Ali
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The U.S. military has yet to see any sign that other Israeli adversaries are preparing to move against Israel following a surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Wednesday.
“I’m not seeing any indications of additional players that are going to get involved to the detriment of Israel,” Brown, a four-star Air Force general, said at a Brussels press conference.
Hamas gunmen rampaged through Israeli towns over the weekend, killing 1,200 people and taking scores of hostages to Gaza. Israel has retaliated with air strikes that have killed more than 1,000 people in Hamas-ruled Gaza as it prepares for a possible ground offensive.
At least 14 Americans were killed during the Hamas attack on Saturday, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. Since the Hamas attack, the U.S. military has sought to deter other Israeli adversaries by moving assets into the region that include the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which has arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The force includes the carrier, a guided missile cruiser and four guided missile destroyers.
The United States also bolstered U.S. Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region, and moved to replenish Israeli air defenses and munitions stockpiles as Israel moves against Hamas.
Brown said those troop movements were helpful to Israel.
“Those are the kinds of things, having talked to my counterpart from Israel, they were very appreciative of the steps that we took with our force posture. It helps to deter,” Brown said in his remarks at NATO headquarters.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart)
