CNN: US Deploys 2,000 Marines to Shores of Israel

The United States directed a rapid response team consisting of 2,000 Marines to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea off Israel, CNN reported.

Defense officials who spoke with the outlet said the US Marine Corps Rapid Reaction Force is heading to the shores of Israel. 2,000 Marines and sailors will join the growing number of naval military forces amassed off the coast of Israel.

The US officials said this did not mean that the troops would deploy, or that any of them would be used in a combat role if they went to Israel. 

However, the US Defense Secretary's decision shortened the time that designated forces would have to prepare for deployment if they were ordered to move.

Earlier, the US aircraft carrier Gerald Ford arrived with an attack group stationed in the eastern Mediterranean, and the White House stressed that its deployment in the region should deter third parties from expanding the escalation in Israel.