The Pentagon has sent more troops to the Middle East.

The United States is sending additional ground troops to the Middle East amid concerns about a wider war between Israel and Hezbollah, Defense Department spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed. The new force is heading to the region amid rising tensions in the Middle East. U.S. forces already deployed to the region include the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, the USS Georgia ballistic missile submarine, and additional F-22 fighter jets.

Israel and the militant group Hezbollah are on the brink of all-out war. Israeli military attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon have killed at least 245 people and wounded nearly 1,000 more, in one of the deadliest days of fighting in the country in years. Israeli officials warned Lebanese citizens to evacuate before the attacks. Hezbollah, for its part, launched about 130 rockets toward the Israeli city of Haifa, claiming they were targeting military depots and defense contractors.