The United States is deploying military assets to the Middle East amid growing concerns that Iran is preparing for a large-scale retaliatory attack on Israel."We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks," said John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesperson.The anticipated attacks by Iran are in retaliation for the alleged Israeli assassination of a Hamas political leader last month.Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination.Kirby stated that it is unknown how large Iran's attack could be."Right now, everybody is focused on making sure that, number one, Israel can defend itself, and that we, the United States, have in place the proper force to help them defend themselves," Kirby said.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the region.He also commanded the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier with fighter jets, to speed up its journey.Israel is blaming Iranian-backed Hezbollah rebels for firing about 30 rockets from Lebanon on Sunday.Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 80 people and wounding nearly 50 others.The U.S. and some of its European allies released a joint statement calling for regional de-escalation and for Hamas and Israel to "reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal.""It is, in our view, time for Hamas to release the hostages which, as you all know, include American citizens and bring relief to the people of Gaza," said Vedant Patel, State Department deputy spokesperson.Planned ceasefire talks set for Thursday are now in doubt as Hamas has stated it will not attend, according to reports.Kirby said all parties should be present on Thursday.Former President Donald Trump's presidential campaign suggested that Iranian actors were involved in stealing and distributing sensitive internal documents, including a research dossier on vice presidential nominee JD Vance.This information was reported by Politico, which received the email.The Trump campaign stated that the emails were obtained illegally and "intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our democratic process."The claim comes a day after Microsoft issued a report detailing foreign agents' attempts to interfere in the U.S. campaign in 2024.Oil prices jumped sharply on Monday as traders worry about a potential uptick in violence in the Middle East.