As Israel launched another series of powerful attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s administration announced that more U.S. troops would be sent to the Middle East. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder did not provide specifics on the size or scope of the deployment, according to The Associated Press.
“In light of increased tension in the Middle East and 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,” Ryder said. “But for operational security reasons, I’m not going to comment on or provide specifics.”
The Hill reported that the new deployment would include ground troops. Currently, around 40,000 U.S. troops are stationed in the region, according to the AP.
On Monday, the aircraft carrier USS Truman, along with two destroyers and one cruiser, departed from Norfolk, Virginia, on a scheduled deployment. Meanwhile, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group is in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. troop levels in the Middle East have been elevated since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
On Monday, Israel initiated another wave of strikes against Hezbollah. Last week, Israel destroyed communication devices belonging to the Lebanon-based Iranian ally, conducted heavy airstrikes on military targets, and killed Ibrahim Aqil, commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit, in an airstrike.
The Israeli Air Force struck more than 1,100 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Monday, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), as reported by the Times of Israel. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi stated that Israel is systematically dismantling infrastructure that Hezbollah had established over the past two decades.
“The IDF this morning launched a proactive offensive operation. We are taking [away] military infrastructure that Hezbollah built for 20 years. This is very significant,” Halevi said.
“We are striking targets, preparing the next stages… in the end, everything needs to be aimed at creating the conditions to return the [displaced] residents of the north to their homes,” he said.
The IDF reported that over 1,400 munitions were fired at Hezbollah targets that “posed a threat and were intended to have been used against Israel.” The strikes are expected to continue into Monday night.
According to the Associated Press, the State Department is advising Americans in Lebanon to leave the country as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies.
