USS Theodore Roosevelt and Marines Sent to Middle East

Two US officials told Fox News on Tuesday that the Pentagon is dispatching the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group to the Middle East, together with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Both forces are expected to reach the region by the end of November.

The reinforcements follow a warning already in place for Americans in Israel. On Sunday, US diplomatic missions across the region, the US Embassy in Jerusalem among them, told citizens to remain highly vigilant against threats from Iran and its proxies and to expect flight cancellations and airspace closures.

The deployment had been flagged weeks ago. On October 1, a US official told The Jerusalem Post that the carrier and a Marine unit would be sent to the area of operations of US Central Command (CENTCOM). The paper assessed at the time that the move would hand Trump significantly greater military capabilities and a wider range of options against Iran.

Accounts differ on whether the Roosevelt will add to the American naval presence or replace part of it. The Jerusalem Post reported that two US carriers are currently deployed in the region: the USS George H. W. Bush, which has been there since April, and the USS George Washington. US Naval Institute News reported that the Roosevelt is moving into CENTCOM's area of operations to relieve the George Washington, which would make the voyage a rotation rather than an addition.

Security sources told Walla on October 4 that American forces had been carrying out routine troop rotations over the preceding weeks. The same sources said further troops and aircraft would follow in the coming weeks, in readiness for a possible escalation in the region.

The Roosevelt left San Diego on September 27 for a deployment projected to last more than seven months, as reported on October 15.