U.S. Military Continues to Deploy Troops to the Middle East During Ceasefire Period

Reference News Network reported on April 24 According to the Russian "Vedomosti" website on April 21, the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States has expired. Washington openly admits that the ceasefire was not aimed at seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis, but rather to allow the military to rest and replenish supplies. What troops and equipment is the Pentagon gathering in the region? Why is it expected that U.S. forces will resume military operations in the coming days?

U.S. President Trump shamelessly acknowledged the true purpose of the ceasefire. He said that the ceasefire was a good idea, "because we have been fully resupplied. We have so much ammunition, and we are much stronger in every aspect than we were four or five weeks ago. Therefore, we are using the ceasefire to replenish our stocks."

From the very beginning of the ceasefire, U.S. forces began to deploy troops to the region. According to rumors, the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division has sent two to three thousand personnel, and it was expected that a complete brigade combat team would be deployed. However, media reports indicate that U.S. forces have already dispatched field artillery units, the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, and the 10th Mountain Division brigade combat team to the region.

A significant portion of these forces had already begun to gather in the region and participated in airstrike operations that were ongoing before the ceasefire, but it is unclear whether these units have received reinforcements. The U.S. is merely stalling for time to gather more forces in the Middle East, initiate a second round of bombings against Iran, and conduct ground operations in Iran.

Additionally, since mid-March, U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters have been conducting missions over the Gulf, tasked with shooting down Iranian drones.

The U.S. is not only strengthening its ground forces. The USS George H.W. Bush is currently located in the northeastern waters off Madagascar and is sailing north. This fully operational aircraft carrier is expected to arrive in the area capable of launching airstrikes against Iran around April 23.

In other words, by the end of the ceasefire, the number of U.S. aircraft carriers in the region will be expanded to three. The USS Gerald R. Ford had previously reported a fire in its laundry room, but it was repaired and resupplied with ammunition for its air wing within a few days and is currently located in the Red Sea. The USS Abraham Lincoln has been stationed in the northern Arabian Sea.

Judging by the number of flights by transport aircraft, the U.S. Air Force has restored its combat capability. Pilots and technicians have been rested, and the U.S. is likely prepared to continue current operations and further escalate the conflict through airborne troops, helicopter units, and the Marine Corps.

Reports indicate that this weekend, U.S. forces are highly likely to launch a new round of airstrikes against Iran, with intensity exceeding pre-ceasefire levels. Subsequently, airborne troops and the Marine Corps may also be engaged in combat. This is how the U.S. is utilizing the gap during the ceasefire. (Translation/ Li Ran)