A US Marine rapid response force is headed to the waters off the coast of Israel, according to a defense official familiar with the planning.
The force, consisting of 2,000 Marines and sailors, will join a growing number of US warships and forces converging on Israel as the US seeks to send a message of deterrence to Iran and prevent the war in Gaza from spilling over into a regional conflict.
The move comes as the US military is bolstering its presence in Middle East, including deploying a second aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean Sea and sending Air Force fighter jets to the region. CNN reported earlier that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered that roughly 2,000 troops prepare for a potential deployment to Israel to help with tasks like medical and logistical support, according to multiple defense officials.
The order does not mean that the troops definitely will deploy, or that any will serve in a combat role if they do go to Israel, officials said. But Austin’s decision has shortened the time the identified troops will have to prepare for a deployment if they are ordered to go, according to officials.
The US already has one carrier strike group in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and a second on the way. The official would not specify where the Marine unit would go, but it could remain in the Red Sea off Israel's southern coast, which would put US forces near the country’s two coastlines.
The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group. In recent days, it has been stationed near Kuwait as part of a scheduled exercise there, but it departed early “as a result of emerging events,” Capt. Angelica White, a spokeswoman for the unit, told the Marine Corps Times last week.
CNN reported on Friday that the unit was preparing for a possible move toward Israel.
The Marine unit specializes in tasks such as amphibious operations, crisis response, humanitarian assistance and certain special operations. The unit is on board the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship that is currently in the Gulf of Oman, officials said.
The USS Bataan and the 26th MEU have been operating in the Middle East since August as part of an effort to deter Iranian aggression in the critical waterways around of the region, including the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.