900 US troops are being deployed in Middle East: Pentagon official amid Israel-Hamas war

WASHINGTON: Approximately 900 US troops have been deployed or are being deployed to the Middle East amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder said on Thursday (local time), CNN reported.

He stated that deployed or deploying units include Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery from Fort Bliss Texas, Patriot batteries from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Patriot and Avenger batteries from Fort Liberty, North Carolina.

Addressing a press briefing, Ryder said, "I can confirm that since our initial Force posture announcement approximately 900 troops have subsequently deployed or are in the process of deploying to the US Central Command area of responsibility these include forces that have been on prepared to deploy orders and which are deploying from the continental United States."

Ryder did not reveal the specific deployment location for these forces. However, he noted that these forces were not heading to Israel and they were intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster US force protection capabilities.

"Deployed and deploying units include a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery from Fort Bliss Texas, Patriot batteries from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Patriot and Avenger batteries from Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and associated air defence headquarters elements from Fort Bliss and Fort Cavazos Texas while I won't talk specific deployment locations for these forces I can confirm that they are not going to Israel and that again they are intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster US force protection capabilities," Ryder said.

The Pentagon official added that between October 17 and 26, US and coalition forces were attacked at least 12 separate times in Iraq and four separate times in Syria by a mix of one-way attack drones and rockets.

He announced that the US is planning to provide the two US iron dome systems to Israel to help further bolster its defence capabilities.

"I can confirm that in addition to the iron dome interceptors were flowing to Israel. We're also planning to provide the two US iron dome systems currently in our inventory to Israel to help further bolster their air defence capabilities and protect citizens from rocket attacks for operation security reasons I'm not going to discuss shipment timelines or delivery dates and we'll defer to Israel to make any announcements regarding future deployment and use of these systems," Ryder said.

His remarks come after the Pentagon put roughly 2,000 US troops on prepare-to-deploy orders last week, which US Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh had said were focused on providing air defence, security, logistics, medical, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and transportation support," according to a CNN report.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has spoken with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and discussed the need to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza and to ensure the protection of civilians.

"Today I spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Gallant. We discussed the need to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza and to ensure the protection of civilians. I expressed the US commitment to deterring escalation, and our hope for the release of the remaining hostages," the US Defence Secretary posted on 'X' on Thursday. A readout by the US Department of Defense stated, "Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant today to receive updates on Israel's operations to restore security following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack."

The department said Austin reiterated his appreciation for Israel's role in facilitating humanitarian aid convoys into Gaza and repeated his calls for Israel to ensure the protection of civilians.

The two leaders acknowledged the release of two hostages on October 23 and called for the release of the remaining hostages, the statement read.