Biden to put "boots on the ground" in Israel

As reported by The New York Times:

"The United States is sending an advanced missile defense system to Israel, along with about 100 American troops to operate it, the Pentagon announced on Sunday. It is the first deployment of U.S. forces to Israel since the Hamas-led attacks there on Oct. 7, 2023.

President Biden directed Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, and its crew, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement on Sunday.

The move will put American troops operating the ground-based interceptor, which is designed to defend against ballistic missiles, closer to the widening war in the Middle East. It comes after Iran launched about 200 missiles at Israel on Oct. 1 and as Israel plans its retaliatory attack...

And late last month, the Pentagon said that it would send a “few thousand” American troops to the Middle East as Israel intensified its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, with one official putting the figure between 2,000 and 3,000. 

The decision announced on Sunday comes as senior Pentagon officials have been debating whether the increased U.S. military presence in the region is containing the war, as they had hoped, or inflaming it.

Several Pentagon officials have expressed concern in recent weeks that Israel has been waging an increasingly aggressive campaign against the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy, knowing that an armada of American warships and dozens of attack planes stand ready to help blunt any Iranian response..."

A major mistake, IMHO.  Personally, I think Netanyahu has been prolonging and accelerating his war on Gaza and Lebanon in an effort to enhance the probability of Donald Trump getting elected in November.  The U.S. support for Israel is a major stumbling block for support of Kamala Harris among young voters.  She is now being put in a position to either break with the Biden policy or take a hit from a large block of voters.  FFS.

Addendum:  a similar opinion expressed at The Guardian.  Also, I've decided to close comments.