Two anonymous U.S. officials have said that U.S. Seal Team Six and Delta Force, which the sources described as “door kickers,” have been placed on alert in a nearby European country and could possibly be used to help rescue Americans held hostage by Hamas. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that the U.S. has “people on the ground” to help Israeli officials “with intelligence and planning” for hostage rescue operations. While it is not known if American military forces will be used to directly assist Israel on the ground, stocks of munitions and additional air defenses are already arriving in Israel. In addition, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford has arrived in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Israel along with 5 guided missile cruisers. Austin said that the carrier group along with U.S. Air Force warplanes are in the region “to bolster regional deterrence efforts.” There is word that the U.S. is considering sending a second carrier group to the region.
