Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the United States is sending a small number of additional troops to the Middle East following a sharp escalation in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. Ryder did not provide further details on the number of troops or what they would do.
As reported by VOA, Tuesday (24/9), a senior US official told VOA that the number of troops would reach dozens and their main task would be to prepare for the possible departure of US citizens with military assistance, if a larger regional war broke out.
Other U.S. officials stressed that the situation was not at a point where a military-assisted withdrawal was necessary. If an evacuation were necessary, the U.S. military has Marines nearby who could carry out the mission, other officials said. All spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security issues.
Ryder, in response to VOA questions on Monday, told reporters that the Pentagon is a “planning organization” that is prepared for “a range of contingencies,” should the U.S. military be asked to provide assistance.
“Today, we have more capabilities in the region than we did on April 14, when Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Israel,” he said.
The announcement comes after several attacks by Israeli forces on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon have killed hundreds of people. The State Department warned Americans to leave Lebanon because of the growing risk of regional war. (I-2)
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