https://sputnikglobe.com/20231101/fact-check-how-far-does-us-military-involvement-in-the-israel-hamas-war-go-1114642863.html
Fact Check: How Far Does US Military Involvement in Palestine-Israel Crisis Go?
Fact Check: How Far Does US Military Involvement in Palestine-Israel Crisis Go?
Sputnik International
US Vice President Kamala Harris is adamantly asserting that Washington has "absolutely no intention" of deploying troops to Israel or the war-torn Gaza Strip. However, signs indicate that the United States is actively bolstering its military presence in the area nonetheless.
2023-11-01T15:29+0000
2023-11-01T15:29+0000
2023-12-05T09:23+0000
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In the wake of the October 7 ambush of Israeli communities by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other Islamist groups, Washington dispatched its naval forces to the Eastern Mediterranean in a bid to deter Tel Aviv's regional rivals amid the unfolding chaos. What's more, US Marines and Special Ops are also reportedly going to be sent to the region. On top of that, the Pentagon is said to be expanding a secret military base in Israel.Two US Carrier Strike Groups in Eastern MediterraneanOn October 10, the US strike group led by the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) – the US Navy's largest aircraft carrier – arrived in the eastern Mediterranean. The strike group consists of USS Ford, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60); as well as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), USS Ramage (DDG-61), USS Carney (DDG-64) and USS Roosevelt (DDG-80). According to US defense officials, the group is meant to provide "intelligence and maritime support."The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group transited the Strait of Gibraltar on October 28. The group includes the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), Arleigh Burke–class destroyers Gravely (DDG-107) and Mason (DDG-87) and the guided-missile cruiser Philippine Sea (CG-58).Over 2,000 US Marines Aboard Three WarshipsIn addition to the deployment of the two aforementioned strike groups, the USS Bataan (LHD-5) and the USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) had reportedly entered the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden on October 27. The two vessels were set to join the USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19), an amphibious warship deployed in the Mediterranean.The three ships are carrying 2,200 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit as part of their "regular deployment" to the Middle East, per the US mainstream press. The Marines have reportedly been trained to evacuate civilians in conflict zones. The US Department of Defense asserted to the press that they would not be involved in any fighting.The massing of US naval groups in the Eastern Mediterranean has become the largest in decades, according to the US media.2,000 US Troops Were Given 'Prepare to Deploy Orders'In mid-October, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered around 2,000 US troops from various military branches to be ready to be deployed to the Middle East on 24 hours' notice. The Pentagon officially stated that it had put its 2,000-contingent on PTDO (Prepare to Deploy Orders) in order to send them to the Middle Eastern if needed "as deterrent."US Special Ops Deployed in IsraelThe US has dispatched its Special Forces to Israel to assist in locating over 200 hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, the American press reported. Christopher P. Maier, an assistant secretary of defense, told a special operations conference on Tuesday that the US is "actively helping the Israelis to do a number of things."Maier fell short of specifying how many US Special Ops have been deployed to Israel so far. However, another American official told a US newspaper that the Pentagon had sent "several dozen commandos" to the region, in addition to a small team that was present in Israel as of October 7. According to the Pentagon, the US Spec Ops are not assigned any combatant roles in Israel.However, Salman al-Harfi, ex-Palestinian ambassador to France, told Sputnik earlier this week that the US is trying to conceal the fact that their military are already taking part in Israeli operations.US Top Military Advisers on the GroundUS military advisers have been sent to Israel to game out strategies to defeat Hamas. Among them is Gen. James Glynn, a seasoned three-star general and former commander of the Marine Forces Special Operations Command, who has a wealth of experience in urban warfare from Iraq.Glynn is famous for commanding US forces during the bloodiest battles in Fallujah in 2004. The Iraqis sustained massive casualties in the First and Second Battles of Fallujah with much of the city being destroyed and thousands of civilians killed.Meanwhile, the US top brass are persuading their Israeli counterparts to resort to surgical airstrikes and targeted Spec Ops raids instead of launching a full-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip. To date, over 8,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli airstrikes, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.US-led Multinational Force to Oversee GazaThe United States and Israel are weighing options for taking control of the Gaza Strip if the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) manage to defeat Hamas. One of these options envisages bringing Gaza under control of external players backed by a multinational force, consisting of American, British, German and French troops, according to the US mainstream media."We can’t have a reversion to the status quo with Hamas running Gaza," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. "We also can’t have — and the Israelis start with this proposition themselves — Israel running or controlling Gaza," the top US diplomat emphasized.However, White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson specified to the US media on October 31 that "sending US troops to Gaza as part of a peacekeeping force is not something that’s being considered or is under discussion."Secret US Military Airbase in IsraelMeanwhile, the US alternative media claims that the Pentagon has been expanding a US secret military base somewhere near Gaza. Judging from documents, reportedly obtained by a media outlet, the Pentagon awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to build "US troop facilities" at "Site 512" in Israel's Negev desert, located just 20 miles from Gaza.Despite the Biden administration denying the plans of US military presence in Israel, there have long been limited American contingents on the ground, the media outlet argued. One such rare acknowledgment of US presence there surfaced in 2017, when Israeli Air Force's Brig. Gen. Tzvika Haimovitch stated: "We established an American base in the State of Israel, in the Israel Defense Forces, for the first time." A day later, the US military resolutely denied that it was "an American base", calling it "a living facility" for US troops. It appears that Washington wants to keep its real Israel strategy hush-hush, the media assumed.While Kamala Harris and other Biden administration officials are continuing to insist that the US does not have any plans to participate in the Gaza war, facts on the ground show Washington's deeper and deeper involvement in the Palestinian-Israeli debacle.
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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231030/us-boots-on-the-ground-in-gaza-palestinian-diplomat-says-1114603328.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231023/three-star-us-marine-corps-general-other-officers-advising-israel-on-operations---reports-1114435840.html
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Fact Check: How Far Does US Military Involvement in Palestine-Israel Crisis Go?
15:29 GMT 01.11.2023 (Updated: 09:23 GMT 05.12.2023) US Vice President Kamala Harris is adamantly asserting that Washington has "absolutely no intention" of deploying troops to Israel or the war-torn Gaza Strip. However, signs indicate that the United States is actively bolstering its military presence in the area nonetheless.
In the wake of the October 7 ambush of Israeli communities by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other Islamist groups, Washington dispatched its naval forces to the Eastern Mediterranean in a bid to deter Tel Aviv's regional rivals amid the unfolding chaos. What's more, US Marines and Special Ops are also reportedly going to be sent to the region. On top of that, the Pentagon is said to be expanding a secret military base in Israel.
Two US Carrier Strike Groups in Eastern Mediterranean
On October 10,
the US strike group led by
the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) – the US Navy's largest aircraft carrier – arrived in the eastern Mediterranean. The strike group consists of USS Ford, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60); as well as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), USS Ramage (DDG-61), USS Carney (DDG-64) and USS Roosevelt (DDG-80). According to US defense officials, the group is meant to provide
"intelligence and maritime support."The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group transited the Strait of Gibraltar on October 28. The group includes the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), Arleigh Burke–class destroyers Gravely (DDG-107) and Mason (DDG-87) and the guided-missile cruiser Philippine Sea (CG-58).
While the USS Ford can carry up to 75 warplanes, the USS Eisenhower can host up to 60 aircraft, meaning the deployment of an additional 120 US fighters in the region. The US press claims that the warships and the aircraft are aimed at deterring Iran and Hezbollah.
23 October 2023, 18:04 GMT
Over 2,000 US Marines Aboard Three Warships
In addition to the deployment of the two aforementioned strike groups, the USS Bataan (LHD-5) and the USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) had reportedly entered the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden on October 27. The two vessels were set to join the USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19), an amphibious warship deployed in the Mediterranean.
The three ships are carrying 2,200 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit as part of their "regular deployment" to the Middle East, per the US mainstream press. The Marines have reportedly been trained to evacuate civilians in conflict zones. The US Department of Defense asserted to the press that they would not be involved in any fighting.
The massing of US naval groups in the Eastern Mediterranean has become the largest in decades, according to the US media.
2,000 US Troops Were Given 'Prepare to Deploy Orders'
In mid-October, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered around 2,000 US troops from various military branches to be ready to be deployed to the Middle East on 24 hours' notice. The Pentagon officially stated that it had put its 2,000-contingent on PTDO (Prepare to Deploy Orders) in order to send them to the Middle Eastern if needed "as deterrent."
30 October 2023, 17:09 GMT
US Special Ops Deployed in Israel
The US has dispatched its Special Forces to Israel to assist in locating over 200 hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, the American press reported. Christopher P. Maier, an assistant secretary of defense, told a special operations conference on Tuesday that the US is "actively helping the Israelis to do a number of things."
Maier fell short of specifying how many US Special Ops have been deployed to Israel so far. However, another American official told a US newspaper that the Pentagon had sent
"several dozen commandos" to the region, in addition to a small team that was present in Israel as of October 7. According to the Pentagon, the US Spec Ops
are not assigned any combatant roles in Israel.
However, Salman al-Harfi, ex-Palestinian ambassador to France, told Sputnik earlier this week that the US is trying to conceal the fact that their military are already taking part in Israeli operations.
"They not only support [Israel], but are also participating in the war against the Palestinian people. The United States is sending military personnel to the area. They are involved in military operations on the ground in Gaza,” Harfi told Sputnik on Monday.
23 October 2023, 18:51 GMT
US Top Military Advisers on the Ground
US military advisers have been sent to Israel to game out strategies to defeat Hamas. Among them is Gen. James Glynn, a seasoned
three-star general and former commander of the Marine Forces Special Operations Command, who has a wealth of experience in urban warfare from Iraq.
Glynn is famous for commanding US forces during the bloodiest battles in Fallujah in 2004. The Iraqis sustained massive casualties in the First and Second Battles of Fallujah with much of the city being destroyed and thousands of civilians killed.
Meanwhile, the US top brass are persuading their Israeli counterparts to resort to surgical airstrikes and targeted Spec Ops raids instead of launching a full-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip. To date, over 8,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli airstrikes, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
1 November 2023, 02:07 GMT
US-led Multinational Force to Oversee Gaza
The United States and Israel are weighing options for taking control of the Gaza Strip if the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) manage to defeat Hamas. One of these options envisages bringing Gaza under control of external players
backed by a multinational force, consisting of American, British, German and French troops, according to the US mainstream media.
"We can’t have a reversion to the status quo with Hamas running Gaza," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. "We also can’t have — and the Israelis start with this proposition themselves — Israel running or controlling Gaza," the top US diplomat emphasized.
However, White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson specified to the US media on October 31 that "sending US troops to Gaza as part of a peacekeeping force is not something that’s being considered or is under discussion."
28 October 2023, 03:46 GMT
Secret US Military Airbase in Israel
Meanwhile, the US alternative media claims that the Pentagon has been expanding
a US secret military base somewhere near Gaza. Judging from documents, reportedly obtained by a media outlet, the Pentagon awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to build
"US troop facilities" at
"Site 512" in Israel's Negev desert, located just 20 miles from Gaza.
Previously, the secret US base has for years hosted a radar facility atop Mt. Har Qeren controlling the skies over Israel, per the media. The contract envisaging the expansion of "Site 512" was inked just two months before the deadly Hamas assault on Israeli communities. The Pentagon did not respond to the media's request to comment on the development.
Despite the Biden administration denying the plans of US military presence in Israel, there have long been limited American contingents on the ground, the media outlet argued. One such rare acknowledgment of US presence there surfaced in 2017, when Israeli Air Force's Brig. Gen. Tzvika Haimovitch stated: "We established an American base in the State of Israel, in the Israel Defense Forces, for the first time." A day later, the US military resolutely denied that it was "an American base", calling it "a living facility" for US troops. It appears that Washington wants to keep its real Israel strategy hush-hush, the media assumed.
While Kamala Harris and other Biden administration officials are continuing to insist that the US does not have any plans to participate in the Gaza war, facts on the ground show Washington's deeper and deeper involvement in the Palestinian-Israeli debacle.
