Israel pushed US to send troops to Middle East, report says

“This reporting by @WSJ is wrong. The U.S. is not sending 14,000 troops to the Middle East to confront Iran,” the Pentagon press secretary tweeted.

By World Israel News Staff

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the U.S. is considering sending up to 14,000 troops to the Middle East to combat the rising Iranian threat to the region.

According to the report, Israel played a significant role in pushing for the move.

U.S. President Donald Trump denied the report on Friday.

“The story today that we are sending 12,000 troops to Saudi Arabia is false or, to put it more accurately, Fake News!” the president tweeted.

The Pentagon also denied the claim.

“This reporting by @WSJ is wrong. The U.S. is not sending 14,000 troops to the Middle East to confront Iran,” Pentagon Press Secretary Alyssa Farah tweeted on Thursday.

According to an AP report, the idea of sending the troops occurred as the Trump administration on Thursday accused Iranian security forces of killing more than 1,000 people in crackdowns against recent protests that have swept the country.

The estimated death toll is significantly higher than previous approximations from human rights groups and others, and the administration did not present documentary evidence to back up the claim. But Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, told reporters the tally was based on a variety of reports coming out of Iran as well as intelligence analyses.