The US is moving military assets like the USS Wasp closer to Lebanon in order to evacuate Americans and project military power in the region.

This comes as Israel is preparing for another defensive war, this time against Hezbollah, should a diplomatic solution fail to work.

Here’s more from NBC News:

The Pentagon is moving U.S. military assets closer to Israel and Lebanon to be ready to evacuate Americans as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies, according to three U.S. defense officials and a former U.S. official familiar with the plans.

The USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship, and Marines from the 24th Expeditionary Unit, which is special operations capable, moved into the Mediterranean on Wednesday to join the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill and another ship in their amphibious ready group, according to the Marine Corps. The Wasp will operate in the eastern Mediterranean to be ready for a Military Assisted Departure and other missions, the officials said.

The Wasp and the Marine Expeditionary Unit are also intended to project military power and be a deterrent to regional escalation, according to a U.S. official familiar with the plans.

The Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are trained to help civilians flee dangerous environments. The Wasp also has offensive and surveillance capabilities, and can deploy F-35s, U.S. long-range stealth fighters.

The U.S. is also talking to close allies to coordinate evacuations and any coalition military operations, according to U.S. defense officials.

The Biden administration has been pushing Israel not to invade Lebanon:

Despite pressure from the Biden administration, Israeli officials have remained firm in their desire to go after Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to U.S. officials familiar with the conversations. Israel hopes to create a 10-mile buffer zone above the Lebanese border, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.

Israel wants to move Hezbollah farther away from the border and is pushing for a diplomatic solution, but if that does not work the Israel Defense Forces are ready to use force, an Israeli official said.

The goal is to return quiet to northern Israel so that 60,000 Israelis who have left in the past eight months because of Hezbollah rocket fire can go home, the official said.

I get that Biden doesn’t want to see a regional war and I’m glad the military is putting serious assets in the region to try and prevent it. But Israel has a right to defend themselves just like they’ve been doing in Gaza. And Biden should be behind Israel 100%! Hezbollah needs to be exterminated, end of story.