Ouagadougou: The United States wants to boost its defensive military capabilities in the Middle East in order to protect its troops there and their Israeli ally, the Pentagon said on Friday, amid rising tensions in the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin "will take several steps to strengthen protection of U.S. troops in the region, provide Israel with more support, and ensure that the United States is prepared to respond to this evolving crisis." », Detailed a Pentagon spokesperson, Sabrina Singh. She was not more specific, but indicated that 'these could be defensive military capabilities.' By welcoming the Americans released by Russia during a vast prisoner exchange on the night of Thursday to Friday, President Joe Biden said he was 'very concerned' about the situation in the Middle East while urging the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quickly conclude a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. And during a telephone interview earlier Thursday, in the presence of Vice-President Kamala Har ris, Mr. Biden assured Mr. Netanyahu that the United States was 'committed' to the security of the Jewish state in the face of all threats from Iran. According to the White House, They also "discussed efforts to support Israel's defense against threats, including those from ballistic missiles and drones", which could involve "new deployments of American defensive weapons". Iran and its allied groups are preparing their response to the assassination on Wednesday of Hamas leader Ismaïl Haniyeh, attributed to Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group, Lebanese Hezbollah and Tehran. His death came the day after an Israeli strike killed Hezbollah military leader Fouad Choukr near Beirut. These two attacks revive fears of a widening of the war throughout the Middle East, between Israel on the one hand, Iran and the groups it supports in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen the other Source: Burkina Information Agency