US Marines Move Closer To Eastern Mediterranean

A US Navy sailor from USS Bataan (LHD 5) stands watch as the amphibious assault ship transits the Suez Canal with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), August 6, 2023.
A US Navy sailor from USS Bataan (LHD 5) stands watch as the amphibious assault ship transits the Suez Canal with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), August 6, 2023.

In response to growing regional tensions, a US Marine rapid response force is making its way toward the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, stationed on the USS Bataan amphibious assault ship, has been operating in Middle Eastern waters in recent weeks but has shifted its course toward the Suez Canal, officials said.

The USS Bataan is currently positioned in the Red Sea and is expected to enter the eastern Mediterranean in the near future, bringing the Marine unit closer to Lebanon and Israel. Iran's proxies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, continue to fire rockets into Israel and other regional proxies threaten to escalate activity following Hamas' declaration of war against Israel on October 7. 

The strategic move holds significant implications as the US government has issued advisories for its citizens to leave Lebanon. A primary role of a Marine Expeditionary Unit is to assist in the evacuation of civilians.

Earlier this week, the White House emphasized the need for contingency planning for the potential evacuation of American citizens from the Middle East, including Israel and Lebanon. While planning is underway, the execution phase has not yet been reached. However, with Israel expanding its ground campaign in Gaza, the US embassy in Beirut has once again urged American citizens to leave promptly, highlighting the importance of departing a country before a crisis escalates.

Recently, the US State Department raised its travel advisory for Lebanon to Level 4: Do Not Travel, citing an elevated risk. Concerns have mounted over the potential for the conflict in Gaza to evolve into a broader regional crisis, with particular attention to Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where ongoing but low-level hostilities persist with Hezbollah, a potent Iranian proxy.