Washington Post: US deploys more than 10 warships to the Middle East

The Washington Post on August 1, citing sources from the Pentagon, said the US has deployed 12 warships to the Middle East. This move comes amid an increasing risk of conflict escalation.

The US Department of Defense, however, declined to comment on any changes to its force posture in the Middle East. Iran has previously threatened to carry out a retaliatory attack on Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is also believed to have ordered a direct attack on Israel in response to the assassination.

Hamas also confirmed that Mr Haniyeh was killed in an attack after he attended the inauguration of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Mr Haniyeh's assassination and the earlier attack on Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut, Lebanon, could escalate tensions and lead to an all-out war in the region.

In response to the above developments, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Washington does not believe that escalation in the Middle East is inevitable and sees no signs that it is about to happen.

For his part, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on all sides to avoid escalating actions and stressed that a ceasefire was the only way to stop the violence.

The assassination of Mr. Haniyeh in Tehran and the attack on senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut, Lebanon, could upset efforts to neutralize the "powder keg" in the Middle East.