US shifts military resources in Mideast in response to Israel strikes and possible Iran attack - AP

The United States is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to Israel’s strikes on Iran and a possible retaliatory attack by Tehran, the Associated Press reported citing two U.S. officials.

The Navy has directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, which is capable of defending against ballistic missiles, to begin sailing from the western Mediterranean Sea toward the eastern Mediterranean and has directed a second destroyer to begin moving forward so it can be available if requested by the White House, according to the report.

US President Donald Trump is meeting with his National Security Council principals Friday to discuss the situation. The U.S. officials spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public.

The forces in the region have been taking precautionary measures for days, including having military dependents voluntarily depart regional bases, in anticipation of the strikes and to protect those personnel in case of a large-scale response from Tehran, according to AP.

Typically around 30,000 troops are based in the Middle East, and about 40,000 troops are in the region now, according to a third U.S. official. That number surged as high as 43,000 last October amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran as well as continuous attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to AP.