The Pentagon has announced that it is sending additional U.S. troops to the Middle East “out of an abundance of caution” after Israel launched a series of attacks on Lebanon that have killed hundreds of people in a major escalation of its war.

Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said in a press conference on Monday that the U.S. is sending some military members to the region to bolster the 40,000 troops already in the Middle East. This may include several ships, including an aircraft carrier, which set off to the Mediterranean in a regularly scheduled deployment on Monday, as The Associated Press pointed out.