U.S. to deploy 1,000 elite troops to West Asia

Amid the escalating strikes, counterattacks and rising tensions in West Asia, the United States military is preparing to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the region in the coming days, according to people with knowledge of the plans.

The unit is considered the Army’s emergency response force and can typically be deployed on short notice.

The force would include a battalion of the 1st Brigade Combat Team as well as Maj. Gen. Brandon Tegtmeier, the division’s commander, and the division staff, according to the people who spoke on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

It’s the latest addition of American troops to the Iran war effort after U.S. officials recently said thousands of Marines aboard several Navy ships will be heading to the region.

Diplomats from various countries said they were working behind the scenes to ferry messages between the warring parties. But there was no let-up in the military activity, with targets in Iran, Israel, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia all coming under fire.

Volley of attacks

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had completed several waves of airstrikes in Tehran. The semi-official Iranian SNN News Agency said the strikes hit a residential area in the city, with rescuers searching the rubble.

Missile alert sirens sounded multiple times in Israel as Iran launched its own attacks.

Iran also kept up the pressure on its Gulf Arab neighbours. Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said it had destroyed at least eight drones in the kingdom’s oil-rich Eastern Province.

Kuwait said it shot down multiple drones, but the General Civil Aviation Authority said one hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire that sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky.

Iran’s military said on Wednesday it fired a volley of cruise missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier.

It said the cruise missiles aimed at the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group had “forced it to change its position”, warning of “powerful strikes” when the “hostile fleet” comes into range.

Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly deferred to the Pentagon when asked about the impending deployment but noted that “President [Donald] Trump always has all military options at his disposal.”

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee are scheduled to receive a classified briefing from Pentagon officials on Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where the potential deployment is expected to be discussed, according to a U.S. official.

U.S. officials previously have said the Japan-based USS Tripoli and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit had been ordered to West Asia. They also confirmed that the Navy has rushed to deploy a set of ships carrying a rapid-response Marine force.