The United States military is taking new steps to protect its troops in the Middle East as concerns grow about attacks by Iranian-backed groups and leaving open the possibility of evacuating military families if necessary. officials told Reuters.
The measures include increasing U.S. military patrols, restricting access to base facilities and increasing intelligence collection, including through drones and other surveillance operations, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The US Armed Forces are also strengthening the monitoring of watchtowers at their military installations, increasing security at access points to bases and expanding operations to combat the possible entry of drones, rockets and missiles, according to authorities.
“With the number of attacks and attempted attacks on U.S. military sites increasing, continued review of our force protection measures is critical,” said U.S. Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command. USA, to Reuters.
United States representatives in Iraq and Syria have been repeatedly targeted since the conflict between Israel and the radical Islamic group Hamas began on October 7. The attacks caused minor injuries to four Americans and five U.S. military contractors, but all returned to work, one of the officials said.
Last week, off the coast of Yemen, a US warship shot down more than a dozen drones and four cruise missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthis.
A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not say specifically what might trigger the evacuation of families of U.S. service members stationed in Middle Eastern locations such as Bahrain, home of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. “We continually analyze and if we think the threat is rising to a level that threatens the dependents of our service members in the region, we will err on the side of caution,” he told Reuters.
Joe Biden administration officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have warned of the risk of a major escalation in attacks on US troops in the Middle East and that Iran could try to escalate the war between Israel and Hamas.
“We see the prospect of a much more significant escalation against U.S. forces and personnel in the near term, and let’s be clear, the path leads back to Iran,” a senior defense official told Pentagon reporters on Monday. Monday (23).
Source: CNN Brasil
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