American soldiers have been ordered to prepare for war in Gaza.

US military forces in Syria (Photo: AFP).

According to The Intercept , a Pentagon memo circulated earlier this month stated that a certain number of military personnel had been "placed on standby to support the military should the U.S. become ground-based in the Israel-Hamas conflict."

The precautionary order has been in place for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq since last year, according to a separate Pentagon document accessed by The Intercept.

Since the Israeli-Hamas conflict erupted last October, the White House has repeatedly stated that U.S. support for Israel would not involve American soldiers fighting alongside Israeli soldiers.

The U.S. responded to Hamas's attack on Israel in October by deploying two aircraft carriers to the region and preparing an additional 2,000 troops for deployment to the Middle East. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on October 10 that Washington "has no intention of deploying U.S. troops" in Israel or Gaza.

However, U.S. special forces have been operating in Israel since October. Senior official Christopher Maier told reporters at the time that U.S. commandos were "actively assisting Israel in carrying out a number of tasks." The Pentagon also acknowledged deploying reconnaissance drones in Gaza "to support hostage rescue efforts."

Since the conflict began, U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan have been attacked more than 150 times. An attack on a U.S. base in Jordan last weekend killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded dozens more.

US warships and fighter jets have also conducted several attacks against Houthi forces in Yemen, aiming to break the Houthi blockade of "Israel-linked" ships transiting the Red Sea.

The Houthi rebels retaliated by targeting U.S. commercial and military vessels in the region.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/linh-my-duoc-lenh-chuan-bi-cho-cuoc-chien-o-gaza-20240131220241638.htm