Pentagon Sending 900 US Troops to Middle East

About 900 additional U.S. troops are heading to the Middle East or have newly arrived there to bolster air defenses to protect U.S. personnel amid a surge in attacks in the region by Iran-affiliated groups, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

As tensions soar over the Israel-Hamas war, U.S. troops have been attacked at least 12 times in Iraq and four times in Syria in the past week, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing. Ryder said U.S. forces were targeted earlier on Thursday in Iraq but the attack failed.