The Pentagon introduced on Monday that it’s sending a “few thousand” U.S. personnel to the Center East to assist Air Force squadrons a day after President Biden vowed to not ship fight troops to the area.
Talking at a press gaggle with reporters on Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated the U.S. was sending a “few thousand” extra troops to the Center East to bolster safety and to defend Israel, if wanted.
Biden gave a agency “no” when requested Sunday if he deliberate to deploy extra fight troops to the Middle East.
This elevated presence is to incorporate a number of warplane squadrons, complimenting the F-15s, F-16s, A-10s and F-22s already stationed within the area.
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The planes have been initially purported to rotate in and change the squadrons stationed there. As a substitute, each the present and new squadrons are to stay in place to double the out there airpower due to elevated tensions within the area and concern that Iran would possibly reply to Israel’s killing of Hezbollah’s chief final week in Lebanon.
Singh stated Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin has “elevated the readiness of extra U.S. forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to answer varied contingencies. And DOD (Division of Protection) maintains strong and built-in air-defense capabilities throughout the Center East, making certain the safety of U.S. forces working within the area.”
The few thousand extra personnel should not fight troops however relatively upkeep crews and people who may also help with the air protection mission and refueling. The extra forces would elevate the overall variety of U.S. personnel within the area to as many as 43,000.
The Pentagon’s announcement follows phrase that Israel has already launched restricted raids throughout its northern border into Lebanon amid an anticipated wider floor invasion.
It additionally follows latest Israeli strikes into Lebanon and the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, a big escalation within the warfare within the Center East, this time between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist group and proxy of Iran. Israel can be engaged in an ongoing warfare within the south towards Hamas within the Gaza Strip after the Palestinian terrorist group sparked the battle with its bloody incursion into southern Israel in October 2023.
Austin introduced Sunday he was briefly extending the usAbraham Lincoln plane provider strike group and its embarked air wing within the area. A U.S. official stated the extension could be for a few month.
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A second U.S. provider, the usHarry S. Truman, sailed from Virginia final week and is en path to Europe. It’ll head to the Mediterranean Sea and once more present a two-carrier presence within the broader area. It isn’t anticipated to reach for at the very least one other week.
An IDF tank fires throughout workout routines near the Lebanese border on Sept 30, 2024. (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
Biden advised reporters on Monday, “I am extra conscious than you would possibly know” about reviews that Israel is planning a restricted floor marketing campaign in Lebanon after practically a yr of buying and selling assaults with Hezbollah within the wake of the Israel-Hamas warfare, and he stated he needs an instantaneous cease-fire.
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When requested concerning the reviews, Biden stated he was “comfy with them stopping” and that “We should always have a cease-fire now.”
The Related Press contributed to this report.
