2,000 US troops put on deployment alert amid Middle East crisis: Pentagon

The Pentagon logo is seen behind the podium in the briefing room at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, US, January 8, 2020. Photo: Reuters
The United States military has put 2,000 troops on deployment alert, the Pentagon said Tuesday, in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin placed the personnel and a range of units "on a heightened state of readiness through a prepare to deploy order," the Pentagon said in a statement, to be able "to respond quickly to the evolving security environment in the Middle East."