The U.S. is sending troops to the Middle East in response to the surge in violence between Israel and Hezbollah and as the region teeters on the edge of an all-out war.
The Pentagon announced on Monday that ‘additional’ service members would be deployed to join the 40,000 already stationed in the region along with a dozen warships and fighter jet squadrons.
Israeli forces have ramped up their airstrikes deep inside Lebanon and the State Department has warned all Americans to leave as the risk of conflict spirals to levels not seen in years.
Tensions have reached boiling point in the last seven days, and started to deteriorate when pagers and walkie talkies owned by members of Hezbollah exploded in a coordinated attack last week.
Devastating airstrikes by the Israeli military on Monday killed at least 100 people and injured another 400 in Lebanon as IDF warplanes pummeled targets across the country.
Terrified residents in Beirut and elsewhere received calls and texts warning them to move away from Hezbollah targets, with Lebanon’s information minister condemning the alerts as a tactic of ‘psychological war implemented by the enemy’.
Schools have been closed early during the heavy attacks that have sparked calls for international intervention.
The U.S. is sending troops to the Middle East in response to the surge in violence between Israel and Hezbollah and as the region teeters on the edge of an all-out war. Some billows from the Lebanese village of Zaita after an Israeli strike
The Biden administration has warned Israel that escalation is not in their best interest and still want a diplomatic solution.
At the White House, Biden declined to answer shouted questions about the situation in Lebanon.
Later, he spoke only in general terms about the situation during a meeting in the Oval Office with President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and did not respond to questions about rising tensions.
‘We also will discuss our efforts to end the war in Gaza and a number of regional issues,’ Biden told reporters.
‘I’ve been briefed on the latest developments in Israel and Lebanon. My team is in contact with their counterparts, and we’re working to deescalate in a way that allows people return to their homes safety. Mr. President, I want you to know that I remain committed to UAE security and look forward to discussions going to cover a lot of areas.
At the Pentagon, Press Secretary Gen. Pat Ryder would not confirm how many troops would be deployed or where they are going.
‘In light of the increased tensions in the Middle East, and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional US military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region,’ he said.
‘Due to the unpredictable nature of ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel and recent explosions throughout Lebanon, including Beirut, the U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial options still remain available,’ the State Department cautioned Saturday.
The growing tensions are certain to be a major topic at as the UN General Assembly meetings in New York.
En route to the even on Air Force One, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre warned that ‘the risk of escalation is real.’
‘Look, we’re concerned. You heard that from the President yesterday,’ she said.
‘The conflict along the blue line between Israel and Hezbollah has gone on for long enough it’s in everyone’s interest to resolve it quickly and diplomatically,’ she said.
‘Diplomatic resolution, that’s what we’re going to continue to work for,’ she added.
The number of troops deployed to U.S. Central Command grew from 34,000 to 40,000 in the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Navy warships are scattered across the region and anchored in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Oman.
The U.S. has a single air craft carrier strike group, which includes the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, in the region, after another departed for the Asia Pacific region. In addition, there are Navy destroyers in the Red Sea and six warships in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The U.S. has placed four squadrons of fighter jets in the region, bolstered by the addition last month of advanced F-22 fighter jets, Military Times reported.
Lebanon’s prime minister has accused Israel of waging ‘a war of extermination’, and urged the United Nations to intervene ‘to deter the (Israeli) aggression’.
Huge plumes of smoke have been pictured at multiple sites, with rockets fired at areas not previously hit by strikes and witnesses reporting intense bombing raids.
Smoke rises from Israeli shelling on villages in the Nabatiyeh district, seen from the southern town of Marjayoun
Smoke billows over southern Lebanon following Israeli strikes, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Tyre
The USS Harry Truman set sail from Norfolk, Virginia Monday as part of a scheduled deployment. It could be used to bolster US forces in the region
Biden referenced tensions in the region at the start of a meeting with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the White House
Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant confirmed that the IDF was ‘deepening’ attacks in Lebanon and suggested that the situation would intensify, warning in a video message: ‘These are days in which the Israeli public will have to show composure.’
Gallant further revealed on X this morning that he has provided his US counterpart with a ‘situation assessment of Hezbollah threats and briefed him on IDF operations to degrade Hezbollah’s ability to launch attacks against Israeli civilians.’
He added that the wider regional security situation and ‘threats posed by Iran and its proxies’ were also discussed.
The IDF issued a warning to residents of villages in southern Lebanon: ‘If you are in or near a building that Hezbollah uses to store weapons or weapons, you must evacuate this building and move away from it immediately.
A Lebanese man checks a message received on his mobile phone in Beirut on September 23, 2024, calling people to evacuate the areas ‘where Hezbollah hides its weapons’
A man picks up students after some schools closed early, in Beirut, Lebanon
‘Anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives or the organization’s weapons puts themselves in danger.’
Lebanon’s PM Najib Mikati denounced Israel’s ‘destructive plan’ at a cabinet meeting this morning.
‘The continuing Israeli aggression on Lebanon is a war of extermination in every sense of the word and a destructive plan that aims to destroy Lebanese villages and towns,’ he said.
He urged ‘the United Nations and the General Assembly and influential countries… to deter the (Israeli) aggression’
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