5,000 US troops involved in Gaza offensive – Iranian media

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Several thousand US troops have participated in Israel’s ground operation in Gaza, according to the Iran-based Tasnim News Agency on Saturday. In the midst of the Israel-Hamas war and tensions with Iran, the Pentagon has announced intentions to greatly increase its military presence in the Middle East.

According to security sources, Israel’s assault on Gaza encompassed three divisions and multiple brigades, as well as 5,000 US combat men. However, the outlet did not specify which troops took part in the offensive or what tasks they performed.

According to Tasnim, the IDF attempted to infiltrate the enclave from numerous points in the north, west, and southwest “to split the Gaza Strip into two or three sections and cut off the connection among the Palestinian resistance forces before launching the next stage of the war.” The organisation did not explain what achievements the Israeli military has made thus far.

However, Hamas said on Saturday that it had successfully repelled Israel’s attack, albeit suffering huge losses. Meanwhile, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced that it was “advancing through the stages of the war” in Gaza, where violence was still underway. It was stated that no soldiers were hurt during the “expanded” ground operations.

Following Hamas’s unexpected strike on Israel on October 7, the US military hurried to increase its presence in the region. The Pentagon has dispatched two aircraft carriers with support vessels to the area and “activated the deployment” of THAAD and Patriot air defence systems.

It also announced last week that it has ordered over 2,000 extra troops to ready to deploy in support of Israel in its fight with Hamas. It said on Thursday that it would send 900 soldiers to the Middle East. However, US officials emphasised that none of the troops will be sent to Israel and that they were instead “intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster US force protection capabilities.”