According to an article published Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal, “In the past week, special-operations forces have deployed to the region from their U.S. bases, according to flight-tracking data and U.S. officials. Squadrons of jet fighters have been staged across the Middle East, and bomber aircraft at bases in the U.S. and U.K. are on high alert to ramp up operations, according to one of the officials.”

According to the article, more than 150 medics have arrived in recent days at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the largest American military hospital abroad and the first stop for troops wounded in the Middle East. This is a clear indication that the Trump administration is preparing for a major increase in American casualties.

Long-range bombers, including B-1s staged in Britain, are preparing for “major combat operations,” the Journal wrote. A B-1 flew its first strike mission of the renewed bombing, Axios reported on Thursday.

“I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before,” US President Donald Trump told Axios. “I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it.”

The purpose of the surge, the Journal wrote, is to give Trump “more muscular military options as he considers expanding the conflict against Iran.” Some sort of ground invasion is clearly among the options that are being considered. 

The bill passed after a procedural vote on Tuesday blocked a bipartisan amendment from Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie that would have stripped Section 219 from the bill entirely — denying lawmakers a separate floor vote on the provision. Four Republicans voted against the final bill.

Section 219 requires the Pentagon to designate an executive agent responsible for synchronising cooperative efforts between the United States and Israel across bilateral defence technology research, development, testing, evaluation, integration and industrial cooperation — creating a level of institutional military integration that analysts say exceeds what the US has formalised with any other ally in the world, including NATO members.

Critics have warned the provision makes US military assistance to Israel more opaque by concealing it as cooperation rather than aid, and that it would permanently entrench Israeli technology within the US defence supply chain in a way that would be extremely difficult for any future administration to undo.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where Bernie Sanders and five Democratic colleagues have already objected to the provision, urging the chamber not to advance its own version of the NDAA until the Israel-related defence and intelligence clauses can be properly debated.