Top US general makes surprise Middle East trip to ‘deter any type of broader escalation’

AMMAN (Reuters) – The top US general begins an unannounced visit to the Middle East today to discuss ways to avoid any new escalation in tensions that could spiral into a broader conflict, as the region braces for a threatened Iranian attack against Israel.

Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, begins his trip in Jordan and says he will also travel to Egypt and Israel in the coming days to hear the perspectives of military leaders.

His visit comes as the United States is trying to clinch an elusive Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas, which Brown says would “help bring down the temperature,” if achieved.

“At the same time, as I talk to my counterparts, what are the things we can do to deter any type of broader escalation and ensure we’re taking all the appropriate steps to [avoid] … a broader conflict,” Brown tells Reuters before landing in Jordan.

In recent weeks, the US military has been bolstering its forces in the Middle East to guard against major new attacks by Iran or its allies, sending the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group into the region to replace the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group.

In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge sail in formation as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group in the Arabian Sea. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur, U.S. Navy via AP, File)

The United States has also sent an Air Force F-22 Raptor squadron into the region and deployed a cruise missile submarine.

“We brought in additional capability to send a strong message to deter a broader conflict … but also to protect our forces should they be attacked,” Brown says, saying safeguarding American forces was “paramount.”