The United States is sending additional troops to the Middle East because of a surge in violence between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a larger regional war, the Pentagon said Monday.
Pentagon press secretary Gen. Pat Ryder declined to say how many additional troops will be added or what their mission will be. The United States currently has about 40,000 troops in the region.
The new deployments come after major strikes by Israeli forces against targets in Lebanon that left hundreds dead, as Israel prepares for new operations and the US State Department advises Americans to leave Lebanon as the risk of a regional war increases.
“Due to the unpredictable nature of the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel and the recent explosions in Lebanon, including in Beirut, the U.S. Embassy strongly advises U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial options are still available,” the State Department said Saturday.
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