The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that a task force of 3,500 Marines and sailors has arrived in the Middle East to join actions against Iran. "U.S. Marines and sailors aboard the USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on March 27," CENTCOM stated in a brief post on X. The America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, composed of approximately 3,500 Marines and sailors, as well as transport and combat aircraft, and amphibious and tactical assault assets, CENTCOM said in the post. The arrival is part of a broader U.S. military deployment linked to the ongoing war with Iran, with amphibious forces capable of conducting both maritime attacks and land operations, reported the online news portal ynetnews.com on Saturday, adding that such units are typically used for rapid deployments, including securing strategic locations, evacuations, or possible coastal assaults. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Thursday that the Pentagon was considering deploying up to 10,000 additional infantry soldiers to the Middle East to give U.S. President Donald Trump more military options beyond diplomacy. According to the Argentine News Agency (NA), the force, which would likely include infantry and armored vehicles, would join the approximately 5,000 Marines and thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division already sent to the region, citing officials from the Department of Defense.
IRAN SAYS IT SHOT DOWN AN AMERICAN PLANE AND DRONE
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) asserted on Saturday that its air defense shot down a U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon and an MQ-9 Reaper drone in the country's southern airspace. Making the announcement in a statement published on its official news agency Sepah News, the IRGC stated that the U.S. fighter jet and drone were hit during joint retaliatory operations by its Navy and Aerospace Division using missiles and drones against heavy industries belonging to the U.S. and Israel. It added that the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has also admitted that its F-16 Fighting Falcon was targeted. In a post on the social media platform X, CENTCOM indicated: "A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon lands at a base in the Middle East following a combat flight in support of Operation Epic Fury." This event occurred amid heightened tensions following the joint U.S. and Israel attacks on Iran that began on February 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East.
