The United States is sending additional troops to the Middle East as tensions increase between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel, said the Pentagon Monday, declining to specify the mission or exact number of the deployed forces.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region,” said Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, Pentagon spokesperson, to reporters.
After almost a year of war in Gaza against Hamas, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been sending rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, its ally.
Monday, Israel’s military struck Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley and its northern region near Syria in its broadest strikes. An Israeli strike Monday night on the southern suburbs of the capital of Lebanon targeted Ali Karaki, senior Hezbollah leader, the head of the south front, said a security source to Reuters.
The Biden-Harris administration has been seeking to contain the conflict in the Gaza region and has called for the Israel-Lebanon border crisis to be resolved through diplomacy. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has stressed that call for diplomacy in daily calls with Israeli Minister Yoav Gallant.
Experts question if Iran would remain on the sidelines if Hezbollah’s existence in Lebanon was threatened and say American troops could also find themselves targeted all over the Middle East if a region-wide war breaks out.
Defense Secretary Austin suggested no outside actors should intervene
In their Sunday call, Austin suggested no outside actors should intervene in the conflict.
“The Secretary made clear that the United States remains postured to protect U.S. forces and personnel and determined to deter any regional actors from exploiting the situation or expanding the conflict,” said the Pentagon.
Those American capabilities include fighter aircraft, air defenses, and the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group.
“We have more capability in the region today than we did on April 14th when Iran conducted its drone and missile attack against Israel,” said Ryder. “So, all of those forces combined provide us with the options to be able to protect our forces should they be attacked.”
Ryder referred to Iran’s attack by over 300 drones and missiles, which caused only limited damage inside Israel thanks to air defense interceptions from Britain, the U.S., and other allies in the region. The April strikes were Iran’s first-ever direct attack on Israel.
