900 American Soldiers Head to the Middle East to Strengthen Defenses

The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced that approximately 900 additional U.S. troops are heading to the Middle East or have recently arrived there to strengthen air defenses in order to protect American soldiers amid escalating attacks in the region by Iran-aligned groups. As tensions rise over the war between Israel and Hamas, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder stated at a press briefing that U.S. forces were attacked at least 12 times in Iraq and four times in Syria during the past week. He added that they were targeted earlier on Thursday in Iraq, but the attack was unsuccessful.