Some 2,000 members of the US military have been placed on alert for possible deployment to the Middle East in support of Israel, at war with Hamas since the Islamist movement’s bloody attack on Israeli soil, said Tuesday the Pentagon.
“Today Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin placed approximately 2,000 troops and a series of units on high alert through a deployment readiness order,” a statement said, “to increase the capacity of American Defense to respond quickly to an evolving security situation in the Middle East.
“No decision has been made regarding the deployment of troops at this time,” insisted the Department of Defense, specifying that Lloyd Austin continued to assess the American posture and remained in close contact with its allies and partners in the region.
A White House spokesperson, however, clarified that it was above all a “signal of deterrence” and not combat troops.
“It is important to emphasize that the military forces which are in a state of preparation or already on their way to the region are above all a signal of deterrence,” assured John Kirby, spokesperson for the American National Security Council, on CNN.
“We do not want this conflict to escalate and spill over. We do not intend to send soldiers on the ground to fight in Israel,” he added.
The forces on alert could carry out medical advice and assistance missions, Pentagon officials quoted on condition of anonymity by the Wall Street Journal and CNN.
Biden in Israel on Wednesday
Lloyd Austin also announced on Saturday the United States would send a second aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean, in order to “deter hostile actions against Israel or any effort to expand this war.”
John Kirby, however, clarified on Tuesday that “beyond the rhetoric”, Washington did not have at this stage any indication of a stronger commitment by Iran in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Tehran warned on Monday of possible “preventive action” against Israel “in the coming hours”, at a time when the Israeli army is preparing to launch a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
These announcements come as US President Joe Biden is expected in Israel on Wednesday for a solidarity visit.
Diplomatic initiatives are multiplying to try to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and an overflow of the war triggered by the deadly Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7.
Israeli retaliatory strikes killed at least 2,750 people, mostly Palestinian civilians, including hundreds of children, according to local authorities.
More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel, most of them civilians killed on the day of the attack, the deadliest since the creation of the State of Israel.