US expected to reduce forces near Middle East by removing Marine rapid response force from Mediterranean Sea

CNN —

A Marine rapid response force is expected to leave the eastern Mediterranean Sea in the coming weeks and return to the United States, according to two defense officials, in a significant reduction of US forces in the region.

The USS Bataan amphibious ready group and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are expected to begin sailing toward the US in March, one official said, though an exact timeline for the departure is unclear. The Pentagon could still decide to keep the group in the region if the situation rapidly deteriorates.

The Marine rapid response force first deployed in July and was sent to the region in October. It had previously been extended to remain in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, as CNN reported. Capable of carrying out amphibious operations and certain special operations, the Marines are also trained to assist in evacuation operations, one of the reasons they were sent at the beginning of the Gaza war. But as the war nears its fifth month, the need for an evacuation of American citizens has not materialized.

The Pentagon declined to comment.

The US has maintained an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea since shortly after the October 7 attacks in Israel. The warships were intended to deter Iranian proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, from escalating the already volatile situation and risking a wider regional conflict.

At least for now, Iranian proxies in the region have halted their attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria. After a steady stream of attacks following the beginning of the Gaza war - US forces were attacked at least 170 times since the war began - there has not been an attack on US forces in more than three weeks.