WASHINGTON, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The United States is planning to send roughly 500 troops to Saudi Arabia amid increasing tensions in the region, U.S. media reported on Thursday.
Citing two defense officials, CNN reported that the 500 troops are expected to be deployed to the Prince Sultan Air Base, located in a desert area east of the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
A small number of troops and support personnel are already on site with initial preparations being made for a Patriot missile defense battery as well as runway and airfield improvements, according to the officials.
The Trump administration announced last month to deploy 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East. CNN noted that the troops sending to Saudi Arabia are part of that deployment plan.
The report of the reinforcement plan to Saudi Arabia came amid U.S. lawmakers' increasing discontent with the Trump administration's security relations with Riyadh.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved three resolutions to block the Trump administration's efforts to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) without congressional review.
The United States has been upgrading its military posture in the Middle East since May by sending troops and military assets to the region. Pentagon claimed these measures are "prudent response to credible threats from Iran" and for "defensive purpose."
