Pentagon Chief Says It’s “Possible” U.S. Troops on Gaza Pier End Up in a Shooting War

Pentagon Chief Says It’s “Possible” U.S. Troops on Gaza Pier End Up in a Shooting War

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin acknowledged on Tuesday (April 30) that it was a possibility that the 1,000 US troops deployed off the coast of Gaza as part of a project to build a pier could come under fire and said they would be able to shoot back.

Austin made the comments in an exchange with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) at a House Armed Services Committee hearing. “They have the right to return fire to protect themselves,” Austin said.

When asked if it was likely that US troops would come under attack from someone in Gaza, Austin said, “That’s possible, yes.”

Meanwhile, the staging area for the pier has already come under mortar attack.

Austin insisted there would be no US “boots on the ground” in Gaza, but Gaetz said the pier deployment was not much different than putting troops in the Strip.

Source: Antiwar.com