Well this is good news - not. More dead people I expect.
From the Wall Street Journal:
“WASHINGTON—The U.S. is surging forces, medics and weaponry to the Middle East to give President Trump more muscular military options as he considers expanding the conflict against Iran, according to people familiar with the matter.
In the past week, special-operations forces have deployed to the region from their U.S. bases, according to flight-tracking data and U.S. officials. Squadrons of jet fighters have been staged across the Middle East, and bomber aircraft at bases in the U.S. and U.K. are on high alert to ramp up operations, according to one of the officials.
Additionally, more than 150 medics have arrived at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany in recent days, another official said. The hospital is the primary location for treating troops injured in combat in the Middle East. ”
“The preparations are the latest indication that Trump is considering escalating the conflict after three American soldiers were killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan over the weekend. A fourth servicemember was killed in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone.
U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday that it had launched a 12th consecutive day of strikes against targets in Iran. “The mission will continue to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters,” it said in a statement posted on X.
Retired Gen. Joseph Votel, the former commander of Centcom and of U.S. Special Operations Command, said the surge itself doesn’t necessarily mean major military operations are inevitable.
“The big idea here is to give the president and the secretary [of defense] the most flexibility, and the force the most options to present to them,” Votel said”
“A spokesman for the Pentagon referred questions about the troop movements to U.S. Central Command, which declined to discuss details, citing operational security. In a statement, the White House said Trump “always has all options at his disposal.”
The troop surge could also be designed to give Trump more capacity to target Yemen’s Houthi militants, who threatened this week to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. The president said Tuesday that he would “take care of things” if the Houthis targeted ships in the Red Sea.
Trump launched an airstrike campaign against the Houthis last year, which ended after nearly two months in a simple ceasefire, leaving the Houthis battered but not broken. They continued to target some ships but have mostly stayed on the sidelines since the Iran war began in February. They lashed out last week at Saudi Arabia, which they accused of bombing an airstrip to prevent an Iranian plane from landing at San’a airport.”
“On Wednesday, a tanker sailing through the Red Sea off the coast of southern Saudi Arabia was struck by an unknown projectile, sparking a fire, according to U.K. Maritime Trade Operations. The Houthis’ military spokesman said in a televised statement that the group had targeted two Saudi oil tankers with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.
London Stock Exchange Group data indicates that both ships are Saudi-flagged and loaded crude and oil products a few days ago from Yanbu port, which Saudi Arabia has been using to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. They were continuing to head south toward Bab al-Mandeb, a narrow chokepoint between Yemen and Djibouti.
The preparations come despite concerns in Washington about America’s endgame and the mounting cost of the war, which has reached more than $37 billion, according to congressional testimony this week from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Returning to all-out war also risks further draining U.S. munitions and exacerbating disruptions to global oil supplies, as Iran continues to attack commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and as the Iran-backed Houthis threaten shipping in the Red Sea.”