11 minutes agoUS Sends Additional Troops to Middle East
Periskopi(2 years ago)
(2 years ago)The United States is sending additional troops to the Middle East in response to increasing violence between Israel and Lebanon the Lebanese group declared a terrorist organisation by Washington that has stepped up the risk of a wider regional war, the Pentagon said on September 23rd. Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder offered no details [...]
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder offered no details about how many additional troops will be sent or what tasks they will have. The US currently has close to 40,000 troops in the region.
“In light of increasing tensions in the Middle East and due to increased care, we are sending a small additional number of US military personnel to increase the number of our forces already in the region. But, because of operational security, I cannot comment or give specifics”, Ryder said.
The new speculation follows the air strikes by Israeli forces on targets within Lebanon that have killed hundreds and at the time Israel is preparing to perform other operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, through a video message Monday, warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate their homes before new air strikes. This message was published as Israeli warplanes continued to attack Hezbollah's alleged targets in the south and east of Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has called on Americans to leave Lebanon as the threat of regional war increases.
Because of the unpredictable nature of the conflict going on between Hezbollah and Israel and the recent explosions across Lebanon, including in Beirut, the US Embassy calls on American citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial options are still available”, the DAS said on Saturday.
Ryder did not tell whether additional forces can support the evacuation of American citizens who want to leave Lebanon. /rel
