Up to 5,000 US marines and sailors dispatched to Middle East: Report

A dispatch of up to 5,000 more American marines and sailors is headed to the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing unnamed US officials. 

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is said to have approved a request from US Central Command (Centcom), the Pentagon's Middle East hub, for an amphibious ready group and an attached Marine expeditionary unit, which includes three warships and some 2,500 US Marines. 

The unit, per its dedicated website, contains F-35B Lightning II jets and also MV-22B Ospreys. 

The USS Tripoli, based in Japan, is now headed to the Middle East. Such a journey typically takes two weeks. 

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