US preparing to send additional troops, aircraft to Israel: Report

The US is preparing to deploy additional troops and aircraft to Israel in the coming weeks as it braces for a possible escalation in the Middle East, Israeli media reported Sunday.

The news website Walla, citing unnamed security sources, said around 3,000 US troops are currently deployed across Israel. Their duties include operating air defense systems alongside pilots, support crews, logistics personnel and troops serving at military headquarters.

The US military has been conducting routine troop rotations in recent weeks as units complete their deployments in the region, the report said.

Additional troops and aircraft are expected to arrive in the coming weeks “as part of preparations for an escalation in the Middle East,” it added.

The report comes amid a broader US military buildup in the region, with recent reports indicating the deployment of additional troops and naval assets as tensions with Iran rise.

An unnamed senior Israeli security official told Walla that Israel’s adversaries are closely watching elections in Israel and the US and assessing whether and how to influence them through attacks intended to destabilize the situation without triggering a wider escalation.

“They understand that the Israeli response this time will be extremely aggressive,” the official said.

According to Walla, the Israeli military continues to prepare for a renewed confrontation with Iran or a rapid deterioration in the security situation amid continuing tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Part of those preparations focuses on the operations Israel could undertake in a broader confrontation and potential targets inside Iran, the website said.

It also reported continued close military coordination between Israel and the US Central Command (CENTCOM) to prepare for scenarios involving possible Iranian missile attacks.

The developments follow remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said his country was ready to pursue the diplomatic path to reach a fair solution.

Araghchi made the remarks during a meeting with foreign ambassadors and diplomatic representatives in Tehran, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported Sunday.

Iran presented Washington with seven conditions concerning the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz through Qatari mediation during meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in late September. US President Donald Trump said Washington had not accepted the Iranian conditions.

Walla also reported that Israeli military officials believe the confrontation with Yemen’s Houthi group could affect broader regional alliances and understandings.

Israeli assessments link that prospect to closer cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against the Houthis and the potential implications of regional understandings for other issues, including Lebanon and Iranian influence there, the website said.

An unnamed senior Israeli security official told Walla there was a belief that “those who do not join the confrontation against the Houthis now will remain alone and face their attacks accordingly.”

Fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis intensified in September, with the group taking control of key locations in Al Hudaydah and Taiz provinces, including the strategic city of Mokha, and advancing to Mayun Island overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Yemen has been embroiled in war since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces in September 2014. A Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.