Biden-Harris admin to deploy more US troops to Middle East

Biden-Harris administration said Monday that it is sending more troops to the Middle East as war in region intensifies with strikes and counter-strikes between Israel and the terrorist organization Hezbollah, USA Today reported

The Pentagon was not specific about the number of troops, indicating only that it was a “small number” to bolster the force of arms already on the scene in the theater of war. Israel struck Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, killing 274 people and injuring over a thousand, in response to Hezbollah rocket attacks on Sunday, USA Today noted.

“In light of increased tensions in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional US military personnel forward to augment forces already in the region,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary. “For operations security reasons, we won’t comment on or provide specific details.”

On Monday, the aircraft carrier USS Truman, two destroyers and a cruiser left the US Navy Pacific Fleet compound at Norfolk, VA for a routine deployment, giving the Department of Defense the option of keeping the Truman in the Middle East to buttress the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is already in-theater, AP reported.

The US already has about 40,000 troops in the region and has deployed a devastating selection of military hardware, including the Lincoln with its strike group, the ballistic missile submarine USS Georgia, and a United States Air Force squadron of F-22 fighter jets. In the eastern Mediterranean Sea, there are an additional six naval ships that can be moved on-scene quickly, The Hill noted.

This comes after Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris claimed during the debate against Donald Trump in early September that there is "not one member of the US military in active duty in a combat zone — in any war zone around the world."

Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris made the statement during the presidential debate with former President Donald Trump that the US had “no troops “deployed in war zones,” a false claim that astounded many, including Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN).