2024-02-28T04:49:30+00:00
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/ Two US defense officials said that the United States is expected to reduce its forces near the Middle East, as the Marine Rapid Reaction Force will leave the Mediterranean Sea in the coming weeks and return home, according to CNN.
The USS Bataan and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are expected to begin sailing toward the United States in March, though the exact timeline for departure is unclear, and the Pentagon could still decide to keep the group in the region if the situation deteriorates rapidly, one official said.
The Maritime Rapid Reaction Force was first deployed in July and sent to the Middle East in October, and has previously been extended to remain in the eastern Mediterranean, CNN reported.
The Rapid Reaction Force was sent to the Mediterranean at the start of the Gaza War because of its ability to conduct amphibious and some special operations, and to train Marines to assist in evacuation operations, but as the war approached its fifth month, the need to evacuate American citizens did not materialize.
The Pentagon declined to comment.
Shortly after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, the United States maintained an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship in the eastern Mediterranean with the aim of deterring Iranian proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, from escalating an already volatile situation and risking a wider regional conflict.
At least for now, Iran’s proxies in the region have halted their attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria.
After a series of attacks following the start of the Gaza war, US forces were attacked at least 170 times, and there has been no attack on US forces for more than 3 weeks.
The sudden halt in attacks comes after a drone attack killed three American soldiers and wounded about 70 others in Jordan in January.
“We certainly welcome the fact that there were no attacks,” Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said at a news conference on Thursday. “I think we sent a very strong message with our strikes, and we will continue to do so if necessary, and we will do so at a time and place of our choosing.”
The expected return of the Bataan would mean the United States would not have a warship capable of operating fighter aircraft in the eastern Mediterranean for the first time since October.
Bataan has 4,000 sailors and Marines – nearly 2,000 of whom are part of the 26th Task Force – and carries more than 24 aircraft.
The United States still has a destroyer in the eastern Mediterranean and other warships nearby that could be sent to the region if needed.
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is currently operating in the Red Sea, and fighter jets from the carrier have carried out multiple strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, as well as repeatedly intercepting Houthi launches against commercial and naval vessels.