The United States military is deploying thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East, three US officials tell Reuters, as the ‌US-Israeli war on Iran reached the three-week mark.

No decision had been made to send troops into Iran itself, two of the officials told Reuters, but they will build up the capacity for potential future operations in the region.

The deployments of the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, along with its Marine Expeditionary Unit and accompanying warships, come after Reuters reported that President Donald Trump’s administration was considering deploying thousands of US troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East.

The additional deployments will add to the 50,000 US troops already in the Middle East and would bring two Marine Expeditionary Units to the region.

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