Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators in a hearing Wednesday that the Pentagon is working to ensure that U.S. personnel in the region are protected against any potential fallout from the Israel-Iran conflict.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday he had ordered the deployment of additional defensive capabilities to the Middle East, as the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran drives regional tensions higher.

Iran’s proxy fighters in neighboring Shiite-majority Iraq and elsewhere pose a formidable ground threat to American military and diplomatic outposts, Mr. Abdel Ghafar said. And it would take only three or four minutes for a ballistic missile fired from Iran to hit bases in Gulf countries housing U.S. troops, he said.