The United States military is sending an additional small group of troops to the Middle East, the Pentagon announced Monday. “In light of increased tension in the Middle East, and out of abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman.

operation security reasons, Ryder did not say how many troops will deploy, where they will be located or what they will be doing

The news comes after a recent spike in attacks between Israel and Hezbollah, as fighting in the Middle East intensifies. Hezbollah officials said Israel broke a “red line” with explosive attacks on its communications gear and threatened to continue the missile strikes initiated by the terrorist organisation since fellow Iranian-backed outfit Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, sparking the Gaza conflict. Israel has also launched strikes, including one on Monday that killed around 270 Lebanese, the bloodiest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The Israeli military ordered people in southern and eastern Lebanon to flee their homes as an air assault against Hezbollah intensified, according to The Associated Press.

Despite the Pentagon’s announcement on Monday, defence officials say the United States has a significant presence in the region. “We’re confident in the ability [of what] we have there right now to protect our forces and should we need to come to the defence of Israel as well,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said last week. The United States has increased its forces in the region in recent months to help defend Israel as well as secure American and coalition soldiers and interests.

The Navy announced Friday that the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and a force of 6,500 personnel will embark this week on a mission that will carry the warship’s strike group to the Middle East. As tensions in the Middle East have raged for nearly a year, US sailors and allies have fought virtually daily for months to shoot down drones and missiles launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. In the last year, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has twice ordered two carriers to the region, as well as an amphibious readiness group and a nuclear-powered submarine to supplement US forces.

The USS Harry S. Truman and a force of 6,500 personnel will set sail this week on a mission to transport the warship’s strike group to the Middle East, the Navy announced Friday. As tensions in the Middle East have risen for nearly a year, US sailors and allies have fought almost every day for months to shoot down drones and missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. In the previous year, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has sent two carriers, an amphibious readiness group, and a nuclear-powered submarine to the region to support US forces.

On September 10, Ryder revealed that the submarine USS Georgia had arrived in the Middle East more than a month after being ordered there. According to a military official who spoke on condition of anonymity, deployments in August increased the United States’ contingent in the Middle East to approximately 40,000 personnel. According to the Associated Press, the figure increased few weeks ago to about 50,000.