On Monday, the US Department of Defense announced plans to deploy a small number of troops to the Middle East amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, specific details about the number of troops being sent or the tasks they will carry out were not disclosed.
Defense Department spokesperson, Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, stated, “Out of caution, we will be sending a small number of US troops to the front lines to enhance our presence in the region.”
After nearly a year of fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel is now turning its focus to the northern border, where Hezbollah continues to launch rockets towards Israel in support of their ally, Hamas. Last year on October 7th, Hamas conducted a cross-border raid into Israel, kidnapping hundreds of hostages which sparked the Gaza War.
Israel’s military carried out extensive attacks on Monday targeting hundreds of Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley, and the northern region near Syria. A source from the security forces told Reuters that Monday night’s attack by Israel in the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital targeted high-ranking Hezbollah leader Ali Karaki, who is in charge of the party’s southern front.
The Biden administration has been working to contain the conflict to Gaza and has repeatedly called for a diplomatic resolution to the Israel-Lebanon border crisis. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized in his regular call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallan the importance of resolving the conflict through “diplomatic” means.
Experts have raised concerns about whether Iran would stand idly by if Hezbollah’s existence in Lebanon is threatened, as Iran supports radical groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Bloomberg reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated prior to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday that Iran is prepared to ease tensions with Israel as long as the other party commits to a similar extent.
During a Sunday call, Austin suggested that external forces should not intervene in the conflict.
In a statement, the Pentagon emphasized, “The Secretary [of Defense] made it clear that the United States will continue to protect US forces and personnel and is determined to prevent any regional actors from exploiting the situation or escalating the conflict.”
The US military capabilities in the region include the aircraft carrier strike group USS Abraham Lincoln, fighter jets, and air defense systems.
Ryder noted, “Our capabilities in the region today are much stronger than on April 14 when Iran launched unmanned drone and missile attacks against Israel.”
“Therefore, all of these forces together provide us with options to protect our troops when they come under attack,” Ryder added.
Ryder referred to Iran’s direct attack on Israel on April 14. At that time, Iran launched over 300 missiles and drones for the first time, which were intercepted by the air defenses of the US, UK, and other regional allies, causing only minor damage to Israel.