"Definitely misinformation," a US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) spokesperson told Sputnik on Saturday.
The spokesperson's response came in light of reports by Iranian media that some 5,000 US military personnel were taking part in the Gaza ground expansion.
It was also noted American troops had largely taken control of ongoing operations, and that Israeli officials had "lost trust in the management abilities and loyalty of a number of army personnel."
Iranian media further outlined that Israeli military were working to divide their offensive in the Gaza Strip into at least two zones before launching an all-out effort to clamp down on the militant Palestinian group Hamas.
It was earlier reported by US media that Israel kicked up its military operations in light of unfruitful talks to gain the release of hostages taken by Hamas. However, media reports elsewhere offered a much different picture, with some reporting that "significant progress" had been made in ongoing talks.
Hamas representatives have repeatedly voiced its openness to release hostages as part of a ceasefire exchange; in fact, Yahya Sinwar, the head of the Palestinian group’s political bureau in Gaza, said on Saturday that the group was open for an "immediate swap."
“We are open for an immediate swap deal that would guarantee the release of all prisoners held in occupation prisons in return for the release of all hostages held by the resistance force,” Yahya Sinwar said.
At present, more than 200 people - believed to be both soldiers and civilians - have been taken into the group's custody and reportedly kept in underground passageways. Earlier concerns were raised that a potential move to flood Hamas' tunnel system would claim the lives of said hostages.
To date, thousands of people have died since Hamas launched its October 7 surprise attack on Israel, and the Israeli state's repeated bombardment of Palestinian territory in Gaza. Official figures have put the Israeli death toll at some 1,400 people, whereas upwards of 7,000 Palestinians have been killed.