German chancellor lands in Israel, US troops put on deployment alert

The US military has put 2,000 troops on deployment alert, the Pentagon said, in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.US defense secretary Lloyd Austin placed the personnel and a range of units "on a heightened state of readiness through a prepare to deploy order," the Pentagon said, to be able “to respond quickly to the evolving security environment in the Middle East.” The troops would cover support roles, such as medical assistance and handling explosives, US media reported."No decisions have been made to deploy any forces at this time," it added.National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says preparing the troops for deployment “is really about sending a signal of deterrence.” Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday lands in Israel ahead of expected meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and other officials.
The Hamas terror group announces the death of a senior member in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.In a statement, Hamas says Ayman Nofal, a member of the terror group’s General Military Council and the head of its military wing’s Central Gaza Brigade, was killed in a strike in the Bureij refugee camp.According to the Times of Israel,the Israel Defense Forces has not yet commented on the apparent assassination.Rocket sirens are sounding in the northern town of Kiryat Shmona and nearby towns on the Lebanon border.The sirens come amid repeated attacks by the Hezbollah terror group on the northern border in recent days.
PM Netanyahu spoke with Putin on Monday evening and "made it clear that Israel was attacked by vile and cruel murderers and has gone to war determined and united, and it won’t stop until it destroys the military and government capabilities of Hamas," his office said in a statement.