A US Navy ship carrying 3,500 sailors and Marines has arrived in the Middle East, adding to the military presence in the region, an official said on Saturday.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, is gearing up for a ground operation in Iran, which could last several weeks, sources told the Washington Post. Defence chiefs are bracing for a major escalation. However, the military action is expected to stop short of a full invasion.
They are instead planning to use special operations forces backed by infantry troops, the sources said. However, U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to approve of the Pentagon’s reported plans.
The US Central Command said that the USS Tripoli, which carries the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived at the location.
The Tripoli, in addition to the troops, also carries F-35 fighter jets, Ospreys, and other aircraft and was deployed from around Japan around two week ago
The ship also carried transport and strike fighter aircraft and amphibious assault assets. The unit has been traditionally used in large-scale evacuation and Ship to shore movements, including raids and assaults.
Meanwhile, the US had also ordered the USS Boxer and another Marine Expeditionary Unit from San Diego.
The US troops have arrived in the region after at least 10 US troops were seriously wounded when Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at the Saudi Arabian Prince Sultan air base.
The war further escalated on its 30th day on Saturday after the Iranian-linked Houthi rebels from Yemen also joined in the war by firing a missile at Israel.
The Trump administration is also considering sending an additional 10,000 troops into the middle east to expand their military option.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned on Tuesday that if the regime in Tehran did not bring its threats and nuclear ambitions to an end, the president is unprepared to unleash hell.
