A worker at the Ein Netafim wastewater treatment plant walks past a primary treatment water clarifier basin in Israel’s southern Red Sea port city of Eilat. File
| Photo Credit: AFP
A U.S. military destroyer has docked in the port of Eilat, Israel’s Ynet news website reported on Friday (January 30, 2026), citing the military, as tension between Washington and Iran heighten.
Ynet said the arrival of the destroyer at the southern port on the Gulf of Aqaba, near Israel’s borders with Egypt and Jordan, was pre-planned and part of ongoing cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli militaries.
The U.S. Navy and Israeli military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The deployment comes as U.S. President Donald Trump signalled he was open to talks with Iran, even as Washington dispatched additional military assets to the Middle East.
A U.S. defence official told Reuters the military could not discuss operational details for security reasons, adding that the safety of service members was the top priority.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military was prepared to carry out whatever course of action the president decides.
Mr. Trump has warned Iran to return to negotiations over its nuclear programme or face far harsher U.S. action, while Tehran has threatened retaliation against the United States, Israel and their allies.
Mr. Trump has also said the U.S. has an “armada” heading towards Iran, though he said he hoped it would not be used.
Published – January 30, 2026 03:08 pm IST
