The U.S. military is preparing for the potential deployment of approximately 2,000 troops to Israel amid the conflict with Hamas, The Wall Street Journal reports.

“The troops are tasked with missions like advising and medical support, the officials said, and they are from across the U.S. armed services,” the outlet stated.

The outlet stated the potential deployments will not include infantry and won’t serve a combat role.

 

The Wall Street Journal reports:

The troops are currently stationed both inside the Middle East and outside, including Europe, the officials said. It isn’t clear under what circumstances the U.S. could deploy the troops or to where, but the Pentagon decision signaled it is preparing to support Israeli troops should Israel launch a ground incursion into Gaza. It is unclear how many of those troops, should they be deployed, would go into Israel. But the officials said that at least some of them could enter the country to support Israeli forces. A predeployment order doesn’t mean the troops will certainly deploy but rather shortens the time troops need to be ready to move.

“These who received the orders were already on 96-hour prepare-to-deploy status, which has now been shortened to 24 hours,” NBC News noted.

The report follows the U.S. military deploying an aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Per NBC News:

The Defense Department has also already deployed the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, where it will join the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford in a show of support for Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces have massed military personnel and equipment at the Gaza border, preparing to expand a retaliatory aerial attack with what it said would be “an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”

Hamas, which rules Gaza, carried out the worst terrorist attack in Israel in decades just over a week ago. The assault included targeting children and taking hostages.

Since then, more than 2,800 people have been killed and 10,859 have been injured in Gaza. In Israel, 1,400 people have been killed and 3,900 have been wounded.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday was in Tel Aviv, where he was met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war Cabinet in the Defense Ministry for more than seven-and-a-half hours, into early Tuesday local time. During the meeting, there were two rounds of air raids and orders to shelter in place.

In an interview, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. ‘certainly’ could afford wars in both Israel and Ukraine.

Janet Yellen: We ‘Certainly’ Can Afford Two Wars

In a “60 Minutes” interview, Joe Biden said America has an “obligation” to be involved in both conflicts.

“Are the wars in Israel and Ukraine more than the United States can take on at the same time?” Scott Pelley asked.

“We’re the United States of America for God’s sake! The most powerful nation in the history, not in the world, in the history of the world! The history of the world!” Biden responded.

“We can take care of both of these and still maintain our overall international defense. We have the capacity to do this and we have an obligation to. We are the essential nation, to, to paraphrase the former secretary of State. And if we don’t who does?” he continued.

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