 The U.S. has significantly ramped up its military footprint in the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, sending additional air defense systems to the region, the Pentagon has announced.ina statement. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he had activated the deployment of a terminal high-altitude area defense battery as well as additional Patriot battalions in several undisclosed locations in the Middle East to increase the protection of U.S. forces.FAD systems have an operational range of about 200 kilometers and are designed to intercept various types of missiles. Patriots, which have recently seen action in Ukraine, have a range of up to 160 kilometers and can shoot down missiles, drones, and warplanes, according to Austin. The decision was made after detailed discussions with U.S. President Joe Biden on recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East, with the overall effort meant to support Israel. The minister added that he had also ordered an unspecified amount of U.S. forces to be ready to deploy as part of prudent contingency planning. The Pentagon had sent 2,000 Marines and sailors to the waters off Israel's coast to send a message of deterrence to Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Earlier, the Pentagon said its destroyer deployed in the Red Sea had shot down three missiles and several drones launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen. It noted at the time that it could not say what their intended target was, but did not rule out that the attack was meant to hit Israeli facilities.