Washington – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that US forces building the floating dock off the coast of Gaza may be fired upon, stressing the right of his forces to respond.
While testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Austin noted that “normally, all deployed service members carry weapons, and have the ability to protect themselves if challenged.”
When Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz asked about the possibility that someone from the ground could shoot US service members on the sidewalk, Austin replied: “It is possible, yes.”
The representative continued by asking: “So, if someone from the ground and from Gaza opened fire on our service members who are on the pier that we are building at a cost of 320 million dollars, you are telling me that our service members can return fire?”, to which Austin replied, stressing that “they have the right to respond.” By shooting to protect themselves.”
It is noteworthy that up to 1,000 American service members are helping to establish a floating dock in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Gaza.
The structure, which will consist of an 1,800-foot bridge that will be connected to the beach, aims to support the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in the besieged Strip.
Pentagon officials have repeatedly stressed that the IDF will provide force protection on and around the pier, officially known as Joint Logistics onshore (JLOTS), with no US troops on the ground in Gaza.
On March 7, US President Joe Biden announced the decision to build a temporary port in the Gaza Strip, and a high-ranking official in the US administration told reporters, “The supplies will take place via Cyprus.”
The dock, which is expected to become operational in early May, comes as the United Nations and humanitarian organizations in Gaza warn that the area has fallen into famine due to a severe lack of access to food and medical supplies.
On Monday, US Central Command released new photos of the pier’s construction. Once completed, it is expected to initially support 90 truckloads of humanitarian aid daily to Gaza.
Source: The Hill
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2024-05-01 15:40:40