Pentagon Rejects Iranian Report Claiming That U.S. Troops Were Fighting in Gaza

Iranian report claimed around 5,000 American military forces "have been engaged in the ground operation" in Gaza.

The Pentagon rejected an Iranian report Saturday that claimed 5,000 American military forces were taking part in the Israeli-led ground operation in Gaza.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, citing unnamed sources, said these troops took part in action on Friday night, which was some of the most intense fighting up until that point. The partial invasion included three divisions and several brigades, the Iranian report said.

“That report is false,” the Pentagon told The Trends Journal in an email early Sunday. “No U.S. military forces are engaged in Israel’s ground operations in Gaza.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an evening briefing on Saturday that Israel is beginning the second stage of the war and the goal is to “destroy the military and political capabilities of Hamas and to bring our kidnapped citizens back.”

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As of the reporting of this article, Hamas is believed to have about 230 hostages and has released four. These hostages are not in one location and are believed to be spread out across Gaza.

Netanyahu told his country that the war has only just begun and will be “tough and long.”

“We are prepared for it. This is our second War of Independence. This is our mission, our purpose in life, and together we will prevail,” he said, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in an earlier statement that “U.S. efforts in the Middle East remain focused on supporting Israel's defense needs as the nation battles Hamas terrorists in Gaza, deterring other actors who seek to use the Hamas war on Israel as a pretext to expand the conflict and to ensure force protection for U.S. forces serving in the region.”

Approximately 900 U.S. troops are in the process of deploying to the U.S. Central Command area of operations, he said.

U.S. support for Israel has driven a wedge between Washington and traditional allies like Jordan and Saudi Arabia who are unhappy with Israel’s brutal crackdown on the Gazans.

“Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones,” Jordan’s King Abdullah II said. “Our lives matter less than other lives. The application of international law is optional. And human rights have boundaries – they stop at borders, they stop at races, and they stop at religions.”