LONDON – The Pentagon is sending military advisers and sophisticated air defense systems to Israel ahead of an anticipated ground assault into Gaza by Israel’s military, the Guardian reported on Tuesday.
The US advisers will not be engaged in any fighting, said spokesman for the US national security council John Kirby in a White House briefing.
Leading the US assistance is Marine Corps Lt Gen James Glynn, who will be offering guidance on mitigating civilian casualties during urban warfare, according to the spokesman.
Glynn and the other military officers who are advising Israel “have experience that is appropriate to the sorts of operations that Israel is conducting”, Kirby said.
The military team is one of many fast-moving pieces the Pentagon is getting in place to try to prevent the already intense conflict between Israel and the Palestinians from becoming a wider war.
Over the weekend, the Pentagon announced it was sending multiple Patriot missile defense system battalions and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to the Middle East, as well as repositioning the US aircraft carrier Eisenhower-led strike group to the US Central Command (Centcom) area of responsibility.
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