As Israel prepares for a ground assault on the Gaza Strip, the Pentagon has quietly ordered roughly 2,000 troops to prepare for deployment to Israel for non-combat roles.

According to Defense Department officials, the troops are expected to be tasked with missions such as medical support and advisory roles for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). They have not indicated from which units the troops would be pulled, only that they are currently deployed in the Middle East and in Europe.

The news comes after a second aircraft carrier strike group was ordered to the region and as US President Joe Biden prepares to visit Israel on Wednesday.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Israeli invasion of Gaza far from certain, risks wider conflict involving Iran

There remains a general expectation across the Middle East that Israel still plans to launch a full scale invasion of Gaza. However, former United Kingdom Ambassador to Syria, veteran diplomat and Middle East expert Peter Ford advised that this was still far from an inevitable outcome.

Tehran's role in either resolving the crisis or escalating it in response to Israeli actions remained crucial, Ford said.

"Iran is not bluffing. If Israel invades Gaza it had better be ready for full scale war on at least three fronts and probably four - Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, West Bank. Iran will never have a better chance to puncture the myth of Israeli deterrence power," Ford said.

Check out his full analysis

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🇨🇳 Beijing is preparing for talks between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Russian air defense forces shoot down 6 drones in Belgorod region, preliminary data shows no injuries or damage - governor

In just 10 years, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has helped to connect underdeveloped parts of the globe like never before, building multilateral partnerships for projects that are centered on the host nation's needs, not the interests of a far-away European ruling government, experts told Sputnik.

Read the full analysis

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Joint photographing of the leaders of the countries before the Belt and Road Forum

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Watch LIVE: China’s president Xi Jinping speaks at 3rd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing

Follow the live on Sputnik website

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Participants of the Belt and Road Forum greet Vladimir Putin

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ China rejects bloc politics and opposes unilateral sanctions - Xi Jinping

❗️ China has become a major trading partner for 140 countries and regions, and a major source of investment for a significant number of countries, Xi Jinping said

Xi Jinping: China can only do well when the world is doing well. When China does well, the world will get even better

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ China does not pursue isolated modernisation for itself alone, is willing to make efforts to modernise all countries in the world, Xi Jinping said

❗️ China's foreign trade in goods and services will exceed $32 trillion and $5 trillion respectively in the next 5 years - Xi Jinping

Vladimir Putin came on stage to deliver his speech at the Belt and Road Forum and was greeted with thunderous applause

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Russia and China are striving for long-term economic progress and social well-being, Vladimir Putin said.

He stressed that the two states share the desire for equal mutually beneficial cooperation in the world.

❗️As for the Northern Sea Route, Russia invites interested states to directly participate in its development - Vladimir Putin

❗️ I agree with the president of the PRC that the Chinese One Belt One Road idea falls logically within multilateral efforts to strengthen creative and constructive interaction at the scale of the whole international community, Vladimir Putin said

❗️ Russian air defenses intercept 28 Ukrainian drones over Black Sea and Belgorod and Kursk regions - Russian Defense Ministry

🇺🇸🇮🇱 Joe Biden is expected to soon arrive in Israel

Meanwhile, the second part of the trip - a summit in Jordan with the Palestinian president, the Egyptian president and the Jordanian king - was cancelled after a strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🇨🇳 Vladimir Putin's full speech at the opening of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian-Chinese negotiations, with the participation of both countries’ leaders, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, kicked off in Beijing

The leaders are expected to engage with delegations and have one-on-one discussions if necessary.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt