“The US military has unique capabilities. And they can do things from just offshore that are extraordinary and so that is the concept of operations that the president has been briefed on,” a second official said.
A third official said the plan “involves the presence of US military personnel on military vessels offshore but it does not require US military personnel that go ashore to install the pier, or causeway facility”.
The Israelis had been informed and the US would work with them on security requirements, they added.
The announcement during the key State of the Union speech underscores the acute political pressure Biden is under for his steadfast support for Israel, despite the mounting Gaza death toll and humanitarian crisis.
Biden announced last week that the US was beginning airdrops of aid to Gaza, following an incident in which more than 100 people were killed at an aid station in the north of the territory.
Efforts to reach a six-week ceasefire in Gaza were continuing, with officials reiterating that the “onus is on Hamas” to agree to release Israeli hostages captured in the attack.
Source: CNA
