U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin put a significant number of U.S. troops on stand-by to ‘be ready to deploy,’ over the weekend, though officials say the U.S. role would not be for combat.

A U.S. official confirmed with Fox News that Austin issued orders to troops that they should be ready to be deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean within 24-hours of receiving an order.

Specifically, top officials say troops would be sent to advise and provide medical support to Israeli forces.

The order is less of a deterrence posture like what has been seen with the mobilization of the USS Ford and USS Eisenhower strike groups in the Mediterranean, but instead appears to be a more direct support role for defense of Israel, if needed.

Fox News confirmed on Monday that 2,000 U.S. troops were notified to prepare to be ready within 24 hours if needed.

The order was issued just days after a special operations Marine Corps unit participating in exercises scheduled through Oct. 22 departed early ‘as a result of emerging events.’ These troops are not designated for combat roles, but for advising and medical support. 

Last week, the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to ‘deter any actor seeking to escalate the situation or widen this war,’ according to a press release from U.S. Command Central, and on Friday, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower departed out of Norfolk, Virginia for a ‘scheduled deployment.’

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Sunday that the Eisenhower strike group and its escort ships were heading toward the area so it would be available for regional deterrent operations.

The Biden administration has continuously expressed support for Israel after the country was attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

‘We must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel,’ Biden said during a speech last week. ‘We stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack.

Andrea Vacchiano of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, reportedly offering his help in preventing a humanitarian disaster, while also sharing information about recent calls with regional leaders.

During the call, Putin offered his condolences over the considerable number of deaths, with over 1,300 Israelis dying on Oct. 7 when Hamas-led terrorists poured into the country in a brutal attack against Israel.

Reuters reported that according to the Kremlin, Putin said he was willing to work toward ‘ending the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation and achieving a peaceful settlement through political and diplomatic means.’

But the Russian read out of the call, the newswire noted, did not mention anything about a ceasefire sought by Russia, which introduced a resolution on the matter with the United Nations Security Council.

Putin also told Netanyahu about conversations he has had with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. 

‘A unanimous opinion was expressed on the need for an early ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian truce in order to urgently provide assistance to all those in need,’ the Kremlin said of those conversations. ‘There was also serious concern about the likelihood of the conflict escalating into a regional war.’

After the meeting, Netanyahu’s office provided a statement on the meeting.

‘Israeli Pm Netanyahu spoke this evening with Russian President Vladimir Putin,’ the translated statement read. ‘The PM clarified that Israel was attacked by despicable and cruel murderers, and went into a war determined, and united, and will not stop until it will destroy Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities.’

Russia has also continuously blamed failed U.S. policies for putting conditions in place that sparked the most recent violence in the Middle East. Russia has long had warm relations with Iran, which considers the United States the ‘Great Satan’ and Israel the ‘Little Satan.’ Iran has provided drones and other support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Iran also backs Hamas financially and with training and other support, and has openly cheered the latest attacks on Israel.

Putin said publicly last week that Israel had a right to defend itself against Hamas, but executing a ground offensive in Gaza would lead to the killing of an ‘absolutely unacceptable’ number of civilians.

When Putin and Raisi spoke, Iranian state media reported, the president of Iran said supporting Palestinians was Iran’s foreign policy priority, though ‘resistance’ groups were responsible for their own decisions.

‘There is a possibility of the conflict between Israel and Palestinians expanding to other fronts,’ Raisi said, according to Iranian state media.

Reuters contributed to this report.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Sunday the U.S. is ‘actively trying’ to locate hostages taken in Gaza and ‘won’t rule anything in or out’ regarding the American effort. 

On ‘Fox News Sunday,’ host Shannon Bream pressed Kirby on whether U.S. special operations forces would step in to physically assist in hostage retrieval. 

‘There’s no plans or intentions to put U.S. troops on the ground to fight in this fight between Israel and Hamas,’ Kirby said. 

‘We are actively trying to find out where they are,’ Kirby said, of the Americans taken hostage. ‘We don’t even know how many exactly. A small handful we know, but there could be more than we know. They could be in different groups. They could be moved around. I think you can understand. I hope everybody can understand – we’re gonna be careful about what we say publicly about our efforts to get those hostages home. Secretary Blinken’s in the region right now traveling around. I can tell you this is high on his agenda. We’re working this literally by the hour, but we’re not going to get ahead in where we are in policy operations since we don’t have necessarily all the information that we need to try to get them home.’ 

In light of what sounded like a reluctance to put American forces in the Gaza Strip, Bream pressed on whether the U.S. could ever consider sending personnel to get involved.

‘Would you absolutely rule out the possibility of any kind of US forces being on the ground?’ Bream asked. 

‘What I won’t do is rule anything in or out when it comes to getting our hostages home,’ Kirby said. ‘We’re working on this literally by the hour. But again, in order for you to develop specific policy options, you gotta have a lot more contextual information than is available to us right now. And we’re working at that.’ 

Kirby said rescuing American hostages remains high on President Biden’s priority list. 

‘Nothing’s more important to him than the safety and security of Americans held hostage overseas and we’re not gonna stop until we can get them back with their families,’ he added. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to Israel this week after completing a frantic six-country rush through Arab nations aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas war from igniting a broader regional conflict. The State Department announced Blinken’s plan to travel Monday to Israel – his second visit in five days – as America’s top diplomat arrived in Cairo for talks Sunday with Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. It was the last of Blinken’s meetings with Arab leaders amid the increasing likelihood of an Israeli ground offensive into Gaza. 

HERO ISRAELI K-9 UNIT CREDITED WITH RESCUE OF OVER 200 CIVILIANS DURING HAMAS TERROR ATTACK   

Kirby also said Sunday that the United States is ‘worried about the potential of escalation and widening of this conflict.’ 

‘We don’t want to see any actor, be it a state actor like Iran or another terrorist group like Hezbollah, widening this conflict, opening up additional fronts that will distract the Israeli Defense Forces from their primary fight against Hamas,’ he said. ‘And that is why the president ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group into the eastern Mediterranean as a strong deterrent message. And that is why we also just recently announced that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier and her escort ships will be heading that way to be available for regional deterrent operations.’ 

Blinken on Sunday already met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh as the Biden administration scrambles to prevent a broader regional conflict.

‘The Secretary highlighted the United States’ unwavering focus on halting terrorist attacks by Hamas, securing the release of all hostages, and preventing the conflict from spreading. The two affirmed their shared commitment to protecting civilians and to advancing stability across the Middle East and beyond,’ State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement after the meeting. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Two Republican lawmakers are moving to introduce legislation that would prohibit the U.S. from accepting potential Palestinian refugees displaced by the conflict in Israel.

Reps. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., and Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., will introduce the Guaranteeing Aggressors Zero Admission Act, or the GAZA Act, which aims to prevent the Biden administration from granting visas to holders of Palestinian passports, according to a report from the New York Post Saturday.

‘We can’t let President Biden abuse our parole and visa rules to bring unvetted Palestinians into American communities the way he did with thousands of unvetted Afghans,’ Tiffany said of the legislation in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The bill would also prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from allowing Palestinians into the country through its parole program.

According to the report, experts believe that there could be more than a million Palestinian refugees from Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

‘I introduced the GAZA Act to protect America’s national security,’ Tiffany said.

The bill comes at the same time as Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announced his intention to introduce legislation aimed at forcing the Biden administration to cancel visas for foreign nationals who ‘endorse or espouse terrorist activity.’

‘America is the most generous nation on earth, but we cannot allow foreign nationals who support terrorist groups like Hamas and march in our streets calling for ‘intifada’ to enter or stay in our country,’ Rubio said in a press release. ‘The Biden administration has the authority and an obligation under existing law to immediately identify, cancel the visas of, and remove foreign nationals already here in America who have demonstrated support for terrorist groups, and in many cases, even celebrated the slaughter of Israeli babies and the rape of Jewish girls.’

The GOP moves come as some Democrats have called for the U.S. to accept refugees from Gaza, including Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who stressed that the U.S. should not allow members of Hamas to enter the country.

‘The international community as well as the United States should be prepared to welcome refugees from Palestine while being very careful to vet and not allow members of Hamas,’ Bowman told the New York Post.

Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a White House National Security Council spokesperson noted that ‘all refugees undergo robust screening and vetting prior to being admitted to the United States,’ adding that ‘at this time, there are no plans for new visa programs.’

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday said he and other members of a bipartisan delegation of senators were forced to shelter in Tel Aviv after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets while the lawmakers prepared to meet with Israeli leaders.

Schumer, D-N.Y., posted a photo on X showing himself, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and others standing in a close-quarters shelter.

‘While in Tel Aviv today, our delegation was rushed to a shelter to wait out rockets sent by Hamas,’ the majority leader wrote. ‘It shows you what Israelis have to go through. We must provide Israel with the support required to defend itself.’

Schumer, the first Jewish Senate majority leader and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S., led a bipartisan group of senators, including Republican Sens. Romney and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Mark Kelly of Arizona.

Schumer said the delegation was having ‘good, productive meetings’ with Israeli leaders, which included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and senior opposition figure Benny Gantz, who is part of a newly formed wartime cabinet in Israel.

Discussions were expected to include what kind of support Israel needs for both military and humanitarian operations. 

‘I’ll lead the effort in the US Senate to provide Israel with the support required to defend itself from this monstrous attack,’ Schumer wrote on X.

An Israeli ground assault on Gaza was looming on Sunday after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,300 Israelis, most of them civilians, and took dozens of hostages back to Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 2,300 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting erupted.

While negotiations are ongoing, Schumer earlier said he expects any spending package should include aid for Israel and Ukraine, along with possible aid for Taiwan as it faces threats from Beijing and money for the U.S. border.

Other high-ranking U.S. officials who have visited Israel in recent days included Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley took aim at House Republicans amid the continued battle over the next speaker of the House, arguing the GOP infighting is bad for the country.

‘They need to get it together,’ Haley said during an appearance on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ with Jake Tapper. ‘They need to get in a room and figure out who this is going to be and come out unified.’

Haley’s comments come as Congress has been thrust into chaos after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., forced a vote that removed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position, which ignited a GOP battle over who will become the next speaker.

Friday, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was nominated by Republicans as their candidate. The vote has yet to move to the House floor.

Doubts continue to surround the feasibility of electing Jordan to the post after 55 Republicans indicated on a secret ballot that they would not vote for the Ohio lawmaker on the House floor if he were nominated for speaker. That would put Jordan well short of the 217 Republican votes needed for Jordan to get over the top and win the speakership on the House floor.

Democrats, meanwhile, have taken advantage of the GOP infighting, ridiculing Republicans while pushing an effort to elect a more moderate or even Democrat to the top House post.

During her interview with CNN, Haley also said Democrats have plunged the country into chaos, citing inflation, the border, and multiple wars around the world. The GOP hopeful said that Republicans won’t be able to do the work of getting the country back on track if they are divided.

‘You can’t fix Democrat chaos with Republican chaos,’ Haley said while calling on the GOP House to unify around one candidate.

‘That’s what Republicans need to do,’ Haley said. ‘This is not a good look.’

Haley pointed to events going on around the world, including the recent Hamas attacks on Israel, arguing that the infighting between Republicans has helped contribute to a ‘distracted’ America and made the world a more dangerous place.

‘We saw what happened to Israel when they were distracted,’ Haley said. ‘America looks so distracted right now. When America’s distracted the world is less safe.’

National security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday warned that Hezbollah militants pose a ‘real risk of escalation’ at Israel’s northern border. 

Sullivan, making the rounds on several Sunday TV news shows, also noted Iran’s possible involvement, as the regime has long bolstered the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon. 

‘We are concerned. We see a real risk of escalation on the northern border,’ he told ABC’s ‘This Week.’ ‘And that is why President Biden has been so clear and forceful in saying that no state and no group should seek to exploit this situation to their advantage or should escalate the conflict. And in fact, he has now sent the USS Eisenhower from the United States toward the region to give additional capacity to respond to any contingency and also to send a clear message of deterrence that no one should get involved in this, no one should escalate this.’

‘We don’t have some specific new intelligence that the threat is different today from yesterday. The threat yesterday was real. The threat today is real. There is a risk of an escalation of this conflict, the opening of a second front in the north and, of course, of Iran’s involvement,’ Sullivan added during his appearance on CBS ‘Face The Nation.’ 

Cross-border clashes between armed factions in Lebanon and Israel intensified Sunday, with the Hezbollah terrorist group firing rockets and Israeli forces responding with shelling.

The Israeli army also reported a shooting at one of its border posts. The fighting has killed at least one person on the Israeli side and wounded several on both sides of the border.

Iran-backed Hezbollah, an ally of Gaza’s Hamas rulers and longtime enemy of Israel, said in a statement that it had fired rockets toward an Israeli military position in the northern border town Shtula in retaliation for Israeli shelling that killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah on Friday and two Lebanese civilians on Saturday.

However, Hezbollah spokeswoman Rana Sahili said Sunday’s increase in the intensity of the exchanges with Israel doesn’t indicate Hezbollah has decided to fully enter into the Hamas-Israel war, according to The Associated Press. The fighting on the border is ‘only skirmishes’ and represents a ‘warning,’ she said.

Sullivan also spoke about efforts to get Americans out of Gaza, noting how ‘Hamas has intervened’ in some cases to prevent Palestinians, Palestinian Americans and others from being able to travel across the border to Egypt. In an appearance on CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ Sullivan vowed Biden ‘will make hard decisions to get American hostages home.’ 

He denied Hamas’ idea of a potential prisoner swap was under active consideration by the U.S., saying the Biden administration’s ‘focus is on working through those third country channels.’

‘For President Biden, they are a priority,’ Sullivan said. ‘They’re the highest possible priority. And he has sent hostage experts to coordinate and consult with the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts. He’s also made sure that our diplomats are in touch with third countries in the region to explore avenues for their safe release. I have to be cautious about how much I can say about certain efforts he’s undertaking, because we want to protect those efforts to give us the best possible chance of getting our people home.’

‘One important point when it comes to the issue of the Navy SEALs is we do not at this point have pinpoint location information for where the American hostages are,’ Sullivan told CNN host Jake Tapper. ‘So we have to continue to refine our understanding of where they are and even Jake, who they are, because we know there are 15 unaccounted for Americans, but we cannot confirm the precise number of American hostages being held by Hamas at this time.’ 

Sullivan told CBS the U.S. is also focused on the broader civilian population of Gaza, ‘because the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza have nothing to do with Hamas, that they can get to safe areas, that they can get access to food, water, medicine, shelter, and that they can be protected from the fighting as it intensifies and as a potential ground operation moves forward.’ 

‘Gaza being governed by a brutal and vicious terrorist organization is not just a challenge for the state of Israel. It’s a challenge for the Palestinian people because Hamas does not represent their highest aspirations,’ Sullivan said. ‘Hamas is not looking out for… one iota about their welfare and well-being. So the Palestinian people in Gaza do deserve a leadership that allows them to live in peace and dignity and security.’ 

Biden’s national security adviser said the U.S. was not ‘making requests or demands of Israel with respect to its military operations,’ adding that the administration was ‘simply stating our basic principles – the principles upon which this country is based and all democracies, including Israel, are based. It’s what makes us different from the terrorists, that in fact we respect civilian life.’ He said the U.S. was not ‘not interfering in their military planning’ or giving them any specific instructions. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen spewed staunch words toward the Vatican for not issuing a ‘clear and unequivocal’ condemnation of the ‘murderous terrorist actions’ of Hamas terrorists who poured into Israel last week and killed more than 1,300 Israelis in a surprise attack, according to reports.

The Times of Israel reported that Cohen told the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States Paul Gallagher that the people of Israel ‘expects the Vatican to come out with a clear and unequivocal condemnation of the murderous terrorist actions.’

‘It is unacceptable that you put out a statement expressing worry primarily for Gazan civilians while Israel is burying 1,300 who were murdered,’ Cohen said, according to the Foreign Ministry.

On Oct. 7, Hamas-led forces crossed the Israel-Gaza border while residents were sleeping, dragging people into the street, taking some hostage while beading and killing others.

Over 1,300 Israelis were killed in the attack, with thousands more wounded and many taken hostage by Hamas, and raped, tortured and murdered.

Since the attack, officials with the Catholic Church have issued a range of reactions.

‘I follow with apprehension and sorrow what is happening in Israel,’ Pope Francis said the day after the attack. ‘I express my solidarity with the relatives of the victims, and I pray for all those who are experiencing hours of terror and anguish.’

The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem issued a statement while fighting continued last Saturday.

‘The operation launched from Gaza and the reaction of the Israeli Army are bringing us back to the worst period in our recent history,’ the Latin Patriarchate said. ‘The too many casualties and tragedies, which both Palestinians and Israeli families have to deal with, will create more hatred and division, and will destroy more and more any perspective of stability.’

Just before the fighting began, Gallagher was reportedly planning on visiting Israel, which would have been the first bilateral visit by a Vatican foreign minister.

Last Wednesday, Pope Francis affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, but questioned whether it would lead to sustainable peace.

‘I continue to follow what is happening in Israel and Palestine with tears and apprehension: many people killed, others injured,’ the pope said. ‘I pray for those families who have seen a feast day transformed into a day of mourning, and I ask that the hostages be released immediately.’

Some moderate Republicans are in talks to come up with a bipartisan solution as the battle over who will be the next House speaker drags on.

‘There are informal conversations that have been underway. When we get back to Washington tomorrow, it’s important to begin to formalize those discussions,’ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said during an appearance on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday.

The comments come as House Republicans have been locked in a chaotic battle for the last two weeks over the fate of the speakership, with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy being ejected from the post this month.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was nominated by a majority of Republicans on Friday but faces an uphill battle in gaining enough support among his GOP colleagues in a floor vote in which all Democrats are expected to oppose him.

The uncertainty has seemingly opened the door for a bipartisan deal, with Jeffries saying the goal of a deal would be to prevent ‘extremists’ from being able to dictate the agenda in the House.

‘The current rules of the House have facilitated a handful of Republicans being able to determine what gets voted on in the House of Representatives, and that undermines the interests of the American people. We can change the rules to facilitate bipartisanship, and that should be the starting point of our conversation,’ Jeffries said.

But such an effort is likely to face major pushback from Republicans if a Democrat were the choice, with even moderates arguing that a vote for a Democrat would be akin to ‘political suicide.’

‘No Republican is going to vote for a Democrat,’ Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said last week during an interview with Fox Business ‘That would be political suicide, even for the most moderate of members.’

Meanwhile, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., noted that Democrats already own control of both the Senate and the White House, arguing that Republicans should not give ground when it comes to their control of the House.

‘Some Republicans want to cut a deal with Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries to elect a Speaker,’ Massie said Sunday in a post on X, formerly Twitter. ‘With Democrats controlling the White House and the Senate, we must not give up control of the House. Republicans should unite behind Jim Jordan as our Speaker of the House!’

As the Israeli army prepares for a full-scale invasion of Gaza, they are relying on the D9R armored bulldozer, affectionately known as Doobi,’ or ‘Teddy Bear.’

The nickname comes from the Hebrew acronym for armored mechanical engineering equipment (TZMEDA), which sounds like ‘doobi.’ The D9R is also known as ‘דובי’ in Hebrew, which means ‘teddy bear.’ 

This nickname reflects the affection and respect that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) have for this powerful and reliable machine, which often saves their lives in combat situations.

A powerful and protective bulldozer for military operations

This robust vehicle is essential for navigating the narrow streets, extensive tunnel networks, booby traps, and sniper positions in the urban environment.

It is also capable of detonating mines and improvised explosive devices, as well as demolishing obstacles in its path. With its ability to withstand guns and explosives, the D9R ensures the safe advancement of infantry.

A massive and resilient machine for combat zones

The D9R is designed and manufactured by Caterpillar. It is equipped with specialized features such as added armor and a reinforced blade, which enable it to perform various engineering and combat operations. With the blade, it measures 27.03 feet long and 15.3 feet wide and weighs 62 tons.

A versatile and enhanced bulldozer with multiple attachments and upgrades

The IDF Caterpillar D9 is a modified version of the D9R bulldozer, designed and manufactured by Caterpillar. It is equipped with various attachments, such as a mounted machine gun, grenade launcher, or smoke projector, enhancing its combat capabilities.

Upgrades like ‘slat armor’ were added in 2015 to provide increased protection against rocket-propelled grenades and other threats. The IDF Caterpillar D9 can handle a variety of tasks, including digging trenches, building bridges and constructing defensive structures.

Additionally, a remotely operated version called the D9R Panda was introduced in 2018 for more hostile environments.

While the exact cost of an IDF Caterpillar D9 is uncertain, a new Cat D9 bulldozer without additional upgrades is priced at around $1 million.

As Israel moves on its assault on Gaza, the D9R, with its reinforced blade and slat armor, will serve as a nearly impervious force against bullets and explosives. It will surely play a vital role in breaching defensive lines, including mines and tunnels, as well as combating Hamas’ resistance.

Kurt’s key takeaways

The D9R is not only a machine but also a symbol of Israel’s military might and determination. As the conflict in Gaza escalates, the D9R will continue to be at the forefront of Israel’s offensive ground strategy.

How do you feel about the use of the D9R bulldozer in the Israel-Gaza conflict? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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