Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a limited number of U.S. troops to prepare for deployment in support of Israel, as reported by multiple sources.
Approximately 2,000 troops have been selected to be on standby for advisory and medical assistance.
The troops will be drawn from various branches of the U.S. military, including those already stationed in the Middle East and nearby Europe.
While their specific units and deployment locations have not been disclosed, it has been emphasized that they will not have a combat role.
The U.S. is extending support to Israel, which is engaged in a conflict with Hamas, primarily focusing on intelligence and planning assistance for potential hostage rescue operations.
This is a relatively common type of deployment to places where the US wants to be seen helping but doesn’t want to participate in the actual shooting. So they set up some field hospitals and send some people over for things like military intelligence coordination