US sending rapid response force near Israel

The U.S. is deploying a rapid response special forces team to the Middle East as tensions continue to flare up in the region amid a major war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The Pentagon announced Tuesday that the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a special forces unit capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, is moving to the region.

Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said the Marines are there without any specific orders.

“They are there so the secretary and the president can make a decision if they are needed,” she said at a briefing.

The MEU specializes in amphibious operations, crisis response and limited contingency operations.

The Marines are also trained in evacuation responses and could technically assist with getting any Americans out of Israel after they are rescued from a hostage situation. Hamas took up to 200 hostages, including some American citizens, after militants attacked Israel earlier this month.

The response force adds to a bolstered U.S. presence in the eastern Mediterranean, where two carrier strike groups have already been deployed.

The USS Eisenhower is now headed to the region to meet up with the USS Ford, which arrived last week.

Both aircraft carriers are leading a fleet of naval ships that Washington hopes will help deter the conflict from growing outside of an Israel-Hamas clash.

In another move this week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told some 2,000 U.S. troops to be ready to deploy.

Singh on Tuesday said the specifications of the ready-to-deploy orders, including which units specifically will be on standby, have not been decided yet.