A U.S. Navy rapid response force heads to the waters off the coast of Israel and the Pentagon is preparing American troops for potential action in the country, adding to the U.S. show of force in the region as it works to prevent conflict between Israel and Hamas to increase further.
Two defense officials familiar with the planning said the rapid response force, made up of 2,000 Marines and sailors, is being deployed. The group will join a growing number of US warships and forces converging on Israel as the US seeks to send a message of deterrence to Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
On Sunday night, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered about 2,000 troops to prepare for a possible deployment to Israel to help with tasks such as medical and logistical support, several defense officials said.
Taken together, the measures aim to prevent a broader regional war, officials said. But they also risk deepening US involvement in a conflict in which the Biden administration is trying to avoid direct military action.
Officials stressed that the US has no plans to put American troops on the ground to fight in the war between Israel and Hamas, which Israeli officials have warned could be long and difficult.
But the planning and movements offer a window into the type of assistance the U.S. might provide, including managing logistics outside the front lines and offering medical support. That could be particularly valuable if Israel launches a ground invasion of Gaza, which could be complicated and bloody, experts have warned.
The decisions also come at a time when the US military has steadily strengthened its presence in the Middle East, including sending a second aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to join the USS strike aircraft carrier group. Ford and the sending of Air Force fighters to the region.
Troop preparation
The Pentagon has been deliberately cautious about how it discusses any potential deployment of U.S. troops to Israel, officials said, because the Biden administration does not want to give the impression that American troops could become embroiled in a hot war.
But preparations are underway for a range of contingencies should things develop further.
The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), which specializes in tasks such as amphibious operations, crisis response, humanitarian assistance and certain special operations, has been stationed near Kuwait in recent weeks as part of a scheduled exercise there. . But it left early “as a result of emerging events,” Capt. Angelica White, a spokeswoman for the unit, told Marine Corps Times on Wednesday.
PHOTOS – Satellite images show attacks in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Source: CNN Brasil
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