HAMILTON, Canada

The US Defense Department announced steps Monday aimed at enhancing the defense posture of its forces across the Middle East.

"The DOD (Department of Defense) has taken steps to further enhance the defense posture of US forces in the Middle East region to deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war," spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters.

Saying that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier fleet, which was scheduled for rotation, is to remain in place, Singh said the augmented forces being deployed include F-16, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-22 and A-10 fighter jets, along with associated personnel that will be sent to the region.

"The Secretary (Lloyd Austin) also increased the readiness of additional US forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies," she added.

Asked about reports of Israel's plans for a ground invasion of Lebanon, Singh said: "I'd refer you to the Israelis to really speak to their operations or any potential operations."

"I can tell you that we're working with the Israelis and trying to learn more about what they intend to do right now. I just don't have more to offer," she added.

Reaffirming that Israel did not inform the US about the airstrikes it carried out on Sept. 27 that led to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, Singh noted that "the Secretary (Austin) was caught off guard. We made that pretty clear on Friday. We were not involved in that operation. We were notified as the operation was underway."

She denied claims of a "trust issue" between the US and Israeli defense minister and said that "since Oct. 7, the Secretary (Austin) was regularly engaging with (Israeli Defense) Minister (Yoav) Gallant, and so that conversation, dialog, has continued, and that is a good thing."

"I don't think you're in touch regularly with someone if you don't have some type of trust there," Singh said.

Asked about whether US weapons were used in the airstrikes that killed Nasrallah, she said they do not investigate every Israeli attack and referred to the Israelis for further inquiries regarding information on the strikes.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.