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The United States is preparing to deploy additional troops and aircraft to Israel in the coming weeks as Washington and its allies brace for a possible escalation in the Middle East, Israeli media reported Sunday.
The news website Walla, citing unnamed security sources, reported that roughly 3,000 US troops are currently stationed across Israel, with duties that include operating air defense systems alongside pilots, support crews, logistics personnel and staff at military headquarters.
The outlet said the US military has been conducting routine troop rotations in recent weeks as units complete their deployments in the region, but that further reinforcements of personnel and aircraft are expected soon as part of preparations for a potential escalation in the Middle East.
The report comes amid a broader American military buildup in the region, with other recent reports pointing to additional troop deployments and naval assets as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to rise.
A senior Israeli security official, speaking to Walla on condition of anonymity, said Israel's adversaries are closely watching upcoming elections in both Israel and the United States and weighing whether and how to influence them through attacks designed to destabilize the situation without triggering a wider war.
The official said adversaries are aware that "the Israeli response this time will be extremely aggressive."
According to the report, the Israeli military continues to prepare for a renewed confrontation with Iran or a rapid deterioration in the security situation, with part of that planning focused on operations Israel could carry out in a broader conflict and potential targets inside Iran.
Walla also reported continued close military coordination between Israel and the US Central Command to prepare for scenarios involving possible Iranian missile attacks.
The developments follow comments from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said his country remained ready to pursue a diplomatic path toward a fair solution.
Araghchi made the remarks during a meeting with foreign ambassadors and diplomatic representatives in Tehran, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA.
Iran had presented the United States with seven conditions concerning the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz through Qatari mediation, during talks held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in late September.
US President Donald Trump said Washington had not accepted the Iranian conditions.
Walla further reported that Israeli military officials believe the ongoing confrontation with Yemen's Houthi movement could reshape broader regional alliances and understandings.
Israeli assessments link that prospect to closer cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against the Houthis, along with potential implications for other regional issues, including Lebanon and Iranian influence there.
A senior Israeli security official told Walla there was a belief that "those who do not join the confrontation against the Houthis now will remain alone and face their attacks accordingly."
Fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis intensified in September, with the group seizing key locations in Al Hudaydah and Taiz provinces, including the strategic city of Mokha, and advancing toward Mayun Island, which overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
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