Pentagon sending a ‘few thousand’ personnel to Middle East day after Biden said he wouldn’t add combat troops

The Pentagon introduced on Monday that it’s sending a “few thousand” U.S. personnel to the Center East to help Air Drive 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 mentioned 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 further fight troops to the Center 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 had been initially alleged to rotate in and substitute 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 may reply to Israel’s killing of Hezbollah’s chief final week in Lebanon.

Singh mentioned Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin has “elevated the readiness of further U.S. forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to reply to numerous contingencies. And DOD (Division of Protection) maintains sturdy 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 further personnel will not be fight troops however moderately upkeep crews and those that will 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 conflict within the Center East, this time between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist group and proxy of Iran. Israel can also be engaged in an ongoing conflict within the south in opposition to 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 quickly extending the usAbraham Lincoln plane service strike group and its embarked air wing within the area. A U.S. official mentioned the extension can be for a few month. 

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A second U.S. service, the usHarry S. Truman, sailed from Virginia final week and is en path to Europe. It should head to the Mediterranean Sea and once more present a two-carrier presence within the broader area. It isn’t anticipated to reach for not less than one other week.

An IDF tank fires throughout workouts near the Lebanese border on Sept 30, 2024. (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)

Biden informed reporters on Monday, “I am extra conscious than you may 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 conflict, and he mentioned he desires a right away cease-fire.

When requested concerning the reviews, Biden mentioned he was “snug with them stopping” and that “We should always have a cease-fire now.”

The Related Press contributed to this report.