WASHINGTON – The United States is sending a few “several thousand” troops to the Middle East to bolster security and defend Israel if needed, the Pentagon said Monday. The announcement follows news that Israel has already launched limited raids across the border with Lebanon.
The additional forces would bring the total number of troops in the region to as many as 43,000.
The increased presence will involve multiple fighter and attack aircraft squadrons, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. U.S. officials said the total includes a small number of other troops to also augment the presence.
It follows recent attacks in Lebanon and the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a significant escalation of the war in the Middle East, this time between Israel and Hezbollah.
The additional personnel include squadrons of F-15E, F-16 and F-22 fighter jets and A-10 attack aircraft, and the personnel needed to support them. The jets were supposed to rotate in and replace the squadrons already there. Instead, both the existing and new squadrons will remain to double the airpower on hand.
On Sunday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that he is temporarily extending the USS Abraham Lincoln’s carrier strike group and its embarked air wing in the region. A US official said the extension will be for about a month. A second carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, left Virginia last week and is bound for Europe. It will head to the Mediterranean and will once again provide a two-company presence in the wider region. It’s not expected to arrive for at least another week.
At the White House, President Joe Biden said Monday that “I’m more aware than you might know” of reports that Israel is planning a limited ground incursion into Lebanon after nearly a year of fighting with Hezbollah, and said he wants an end to it. fire immediately. Asked about the reports, Biden said: “I’m more aware than you might know, and I’m comfortable with them stopping. We should have a truce now.”
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