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The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced on Monday that it was sending additional forces to the Middle East in anticipation of escalating tensions between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, but did not specify the exact number or the mission of the forces being sent.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional US military personnel to augment our forces already in the region,” Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters.
After nearly a year of war against Hamas in Gaza, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern border, where Hezbollah is firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas.
Today, the Israeli army carried out air strikes on Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley in the east, and the northern region near Syria, in its largest strikes ever.
Targeting
An Israeli strike on Monday evening on the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital targeted senior Hezbollah leader Ali Karaki, commander of the southern front, a security source told Reuters.
The Biden administration is seeking to contain the conflict in Gaza, and has repeatedly called for a diplomatic resolution to the border crisis between Israel and Lebanon. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has reiterated this call for diplomacy in daily calls with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
In their phone call on Sunday, Austin suggested that no outside parties should intervene in the conflict.
“The Secretary made clear that the United States remains capable of protecting American forces and personnel and is determined to deter any regional actors from exploiting the situation or expanding the conflict,” the US Department of Defense said in a statement.
These US capabilities include the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, fighter jets and air defences.
“We have greater capabilities in the region today than we had on April 14 when Iran launched its drone and missile attack on Israel,” Ryder said.
“And then all of these forces combined provide us with options to protect our forces if they are attacked,” he added.
Ryder was referring to Iran’s attack of more than 300 missiles and drones that caused only minor damage inside Israel thanks to air defense interceptions from the United States, Britain and other allies in the region. The April 14 strikes were Iran’s first direct attack on Israel.
