The United States announced that the Pentagon intends to dispatch supplementary forces to the Middle East in response to growing hostilities between Israel and the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militia.
“In light of increased tension in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region,” Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Monday.
Although Ryder did not provide any further information on the plan, a U.S. official told Voice of America the contingent will amount to several dozen individuals assigned to prepare for the potential evacuation of U.S. nationals if a regional war erupts in Lebanon.
Currently, about 40,000 American personnel are stationed in Iraq, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and Syria. Alongside these deployed units, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman set sail from its home port in Norfolk, VA, on Monday for a planned patrol in the Mediterranean.
In July, the U.S. State Department first issued a “do not travel” warning for Lebanon and then advised its citizens to leave the country completely on Saturday.
Related Story: State Department Warns Americans in Lebanon to Prepare to ‘Shelter in Place’ Amid Rising Tension
