Vice President Kamala Harris said the U.S. has no plans to send combat troops to Israel or Gaza as the Jewish state tries to eradicate Hamas terrorists, who killed more than 1,400 Israelis during a surprise attack Oct. 7.
In the wake of Hamas' terrorist attack, the U.S. Navy sent two carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean. There have been reports of Iran-backed groups firing on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, prompting the U.S. to send about 900 more troops to the Middle East, and the U.S. launched airstrikes against Iranian weapons depots in Syria.
Also, the USS Carney destroyer in the northern Red Sea intercepted three land attack cruise missiles and several drones that were launched by Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen toward Israel. It represented the U.S. military's first response in the defense of Israel in the conflict.
"We have absolutely no intention, nor do we have any plans to send combat troops into Israel or Gaza," Harris said Sunday on "60 Minutes."
Harris said the Biden administration is behind Israel's response to the terror attack but also is trying to stress that Hamas is separate from Palestinian civilians, even though the terrorist group was elected to govern the Gaza territory in 2006.
"A terrorist organization, Hamas, slaughtered hundreds of young people at a concert," she said. "By most estimates, at least 1,400 Israelis are dead. Israel, without any question, has a right to defend itself. That being said, it is very important that there be no conflation between Hamas and the Palestinians.
"The Palestinians deserve equal measures of safety and security, self-determination and dignity, and we have been very clear that the rules of war must be adhered to, and that there be humanitarian aid that flows."