US readies troops, warships, fighter jets amid escalating tensions in the Middle East
- In Reports
- 06:41 PM, Sep 20, 2024
- Myind Staff
The U.S. has maintained a strong military presence in the Middle East for most of the past year. This includes around 40,000 troops, over a dozen warships, and four Air Force fighter jet units. According to multiple U.S. officials, their purpose is to safeguard allies and avert attacks.
This week, attacks between Israel and Hezbollah increased significantly, raising concerns that the situation might lead to a full-scale war. At the same time, Tel Aviv continues its ongoing conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza, which has been going on for nearly a year.
Hezbollah said Israel crossed a "red line" by attacking its communication equipment and promised to continue firing missiles, which it started doing after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, leading to the conflict in Gaza. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has announced the beginning of a "new phase" of the war, refocusing it on the northern front against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Gallant has spoken with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin multiple times this week.
The United States already has a stronger force in the area, and it hasn't indicated that it will be adding more or changing its current troop levels in response to the recent attacks. “We’re confident in the ability that we have there right now to protect our forces and should we need to come to the defence of Israel as well,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Thursday.
A military official said that more resources have been helpful for U.S. forces as they carry out missions in different conflict areas. These include operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, defending Israel, and dealing with threats from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea and fired missiles at Israel.
The officials described the movements and locations of US troops while speaking on condition of anonymity. Usually, around 34,000 U.S. troops are stationed in the Middle East under U.S. Central Command. During the early months of the Israel-Hamas war, this number increased to about 40,000 as more ships and planes were deployed.
A few weeks ago, the number of military personnel in the region rose to nearly 50,000 when Austin ordered two aircraft carriers and their support ships to stay because of rising tensions between Israel and Lebanon. Since then, one of the carrier groups has left and moved to the Asia-Pacific. The increased military presence aims to defend Israel and safeguard U.S. and allied personnel and assets. Navy warships are spread out from the eastern Mediterranean to the Gulf of Oman, and Air Force and Navy fighter jets are stationed at key locations to quickly respond to any attacks.
Image source: The Economic Times
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