Pentagon confirms 2,000 servicemen being prepared for deployment in Middle East

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered to put 2,000 US soldiers to heightened alert for potential deployment in the Middle East due to the Hamas attack on Israel, but the final decision on their deployment has not been made yet, Pentagon Deputy Spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a written statement.

"Today, Secretary Austin placed approximately 2,000 personnel and a range of units on a heightened state of readiness through a prepare to deploy order, which increases DoD's ability to respond quickly to the evolving security environment in the Middle East. No decisions have been made to deploy any forces at this time," the statement reads.

According to the official, Austin "the Secretary will continue to assess [American] force posture and remain in close contact with allies and partners."

In addition, he approved a deployment extension of the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group, which is currently located in the eastern Mediterranean. The timeframe for the extension was not specified.