Wall Street: Washington Reinforces Its Troops, Weapons, and Medical Personnel in the Middle East

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the United States is bolstering its military presence in the Middle East by increasing troops, medical personnel, and weapons, aiming to give President Donald Trump broader military options in dealing with Iran. The newspaper quoted officials as saying that “special operations forces have been deployed to the region, while fighter squadrons have been reinforced and bombers’ readiness has been heightened at U.S. and British bases.” It noted that these moves may also aim to give Washington greater capacity to carry out operations against the Houthi group in Yemen, amid escalating regional tensions. In the same context, a U.S. official revealed that more than 150 medical personnel arrived in recent days at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the main hospital to which injured U.S. troops are transferred from combat operations in the Middle East for treatment. These military preparations come amid growing indications that Trump is considering escalating the conflict with Iran, following the killing of three U.S. soldiers in an Iranian attack targeting U.S. forces in Jordan over the weekend, while a fourth U.S. soldier was killed in Iraq during an operation to shoot down an Iranian drone.