Pentagon Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh announced that the United States will deploy “several thousand additional troops” to the Middle East to enhance security and defend Israel if necessary.
The exact number of troops has not been specified, but the deployment will include combat air defense units and will supplement the tens of thousands of U.S. forces already stationed in the region.
During a press conference, Singh explained that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has increased the availability of American forces for deployment and heightened their readiness to respond to various emergencies.
This announcement came shortly after the Israeli military initiated a “limited” ground incursion in southern Lebanon.
The casualty figures or the scale of the attack on the first night remain unknown.
However, shortly before it began, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that various Israeli attacks in the country over the past 24 hours had resulted in at least 95 deaths and 172 injuries.
These numbers add to the more than a thousand people killed and about a million displaced from their homes in the past two weeks, due to the intense Israeli bombing campaign primarily targeting southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut.
John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, stated that there is currently no need for American evacuations from Israel and Lebanon, according to the State Department.
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Kirby was questioned by Martha Raddatz about the readiness to evacuate Americans should the situation worsen.
Raddatz referenced the lack of preparation observed in Afghanistan and inquired whether Kirby was confident in the current plans.
Kirby assured that there are contingency plans for evacuations worldwide, emphasizing the ongoing efforts led by Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Defense Department to ensure readiness.
