More than 2,200 U.S. Marines based in Okinawa Prefecture and an amphibious assault ship homeported in Nagasaki Prefecture are heading to the Middle East, as the United States and Israel¡¯s war against Iran enters its third week, media reports said Friday.
The U.S. military is sending the roughly 2,200-strong 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship, homeported in Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture, to the region as Iran ramps up attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for oil shipping.
The Tripoli, which carries a squadron of F-35 fighters, V-22 Ospreys and helicopters, is the command ship of a Marine Amphibious Ready Group, which includes two other vessels. It was not immediately clear if the two other ships would also be heading to the Middle East.
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