The U.S. Marines announced recently that they are pulling one of their units out of Kuwait amid the bloody conflict occurring between Israel and Palestine.
This comes after the Iran-backed Hamas launched thousands of missiles at Israel and invaded towns along the Gaza border two weeks ago, killing at least 700 people. The attack prompted Israel to declare war against the terrorist group.
During this time, the Marine Corps’ 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit was forward-deployed from Kuwait to Bahrain, possibly on standby should President Joe Biden initiate military aid to Israel.
The expeditionary capable unit, which has been traveling on the amphibious assault ship Bataan and the dock landing ship Carter Hall, was only in Kuwait for a few days.
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit spokesperson Capt. Angelica White declined to specify where the ships were headed next for operational security reasons. Her statement did not also confirm whether the events in question were those in Israel and Gaza.
White further explained in an email to the Marine Corps Times that her unit has not yet been given a specific mission to support but instead “is posturing our force in [an] effort to be prepared” so that “in the case that we are tasked or directed, we are able to respond promptly.”
President Joe Biden has since shown his support for Israel and vowed that they will assist the country in their fight against the terrorist organization.
“We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack,” Biden said during his recent address. “There is no justification for terrorism. There is no excuse.”
“Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination. Its stated purpose is the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of Jewish people,” he continued.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, said that it was likely that Americans were among the hostages taken into the Gaza Strip by Hamas.
“We have reports that several Americans were killed; we’re working overtime to verify that. At the same time, there are reports of missing Americans and, there again, we’re working to verify those reports,” Blinken said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
