The US is adding troops to the Middle East. Marines and ships have already departed for the theater of war
The US military will deploy Marine Corps troops and additional ships to the Middle East, the US media reported on Friday, as the war against Iran approaches the threshold of two weeks since its outbreak on February 28, writes AFP, taken over by Agerpres.
According to the New York Times, about 2,500 marines and three other ships have headed for the region. The Wall Street Journal quotes US officials as saying the Japan-based assault ship USS Tripoli and the Marines attached to it are heading to the Middle East.
According to CNN, an expeditionary unit of marines, which usually numbers around 2,500 people, was also sent.
The Wall Street Journal states that the request for reinforcements with marines was made by US Central Command, which is responsible for US troops in the Middle East, and approved by the head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth.
Troops of marines were already in the region to support US operations against Iran, the newspaper notes.
The United States and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran on February 28, and Tehran retaliated with waves of drones and missiles, as well as attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil trade passes.
