Washington, United States. The risk of an expanded war involving Iran increased after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched their first attacks on Israel since the conflict began, as additional U.S. forces reached the Middle East.
U.S. deployments and preparations
Washington has dispatched thousands of Marines to the Middle East during the month-old war, with the first of two contingents arriving on Friday aboard an amphibious assault ship, the U.S. military said on Saturday. The Pentagon was also expected to deploy thousands of soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that U.S. officials said the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, possibly involving raids by Special Operations and conventional infantry troops, though it remained uncertain whether President Donald Trump would approve plans to deploy ground troops. Reuters has also reported that the Pentagon was considering military operations that could include deploying ground troops in Iran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the U.S. could achieve its aims without ground troops, but that some were being deployed to the region so Trump would have “maximum” flexibility to adjust strategy.
Conflict spreads across the region
The war began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands and disrupting the world economy through what was described as the biggest-ever disruption to global energy supplies.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, which is hosting talks from Sunday with the Turkish and Saudi foreign ministers on ways to ease regional tensions.
Strikes in Iran and Lebanon
Israel carried out a wave of attacks on Tehran on Saturday, targeting what Israel’s military described as Iranian government infrastructure.
Israel also struck targets in Lebanon, resuming its war against Iran-backed Hezbollah. Lebanon’s Al Manar TV reported that three Lebanese journalists were killed in a strike on a media vehicle, along with a Lebanese soldier, and that a follow-up strike on rescue workers sent to assist them also caused fatalities.
What impact do you think additional troop deployments could have on the direction of the conflict?
