The US will send more troops to the Middle East

Photo: REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu.

"While this may be an overstatement, we will be deploying a small number of additional US troops to reinforce existing forces in the region," said US Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman.

After nearly a year of fighting with Hamas in Gaza, Israel is turning its attention to the northern battlefield, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets at Israel in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza.

Israel on Monday attacked Hezbollah in the eastern Bekaa Valley and northern Lebanon, near the Syrian border, in one of the group's largest operations yet. Israel carried out an airstrike on the southern outskirts of Beirut on Monday afternoon, targeting senior Hezbollah leader Ali Karaki, commander of Hezbollah's southern front, a regional security source said.

The Biden administration has sought to limit the escalation of the conflict in Gaza and has repeatedly called for the Israeli-Lebanese border crisis to be resolved diplomatically, a call that was reiterated by US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin in a call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Experts have expressed doubts that Iran would stay out of the fight if Hezbollah's survival in Lebanon was threatened, and have suggested that US troops could also be attacked across the Middle East in the event of a regional war.

In a call on Sunday, Mr. Austin said that outside parties should not get involved in this conflict.

"The secretary made clear the United States remains prepared to defend US forces and personnel, and is committed to preventing regional actors from exploiting the situation or escalating the conflict," the Pentagon said in a statement.

The military measures the US has put in place include the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, along with fighter jets and air defense systems.

“We have more options in place in the region today than we did on April 14 when Iran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel,” Mr Ryder said.

"And these forces, when combined, will give us the ability to defend our forces if they are attacked."

On April 14, 2024, Iran launched an attack with more than 300 missiles and drones, which caused little damage to Israel thanks to the air defense system provided by the US, UK and other regional allies. The April 14 attack was also the first time Iran had directly attacked Israel.

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/lau-nam-goc-my-se-dieu-dong-them-luc-luong-toi-trung-dong-204240924092447294.htm