Syria and Iraq want US troops to leave quickly

The United States has approximately 45,000 troops in the Middle East, including approximately 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq, 900 troops stationed in Syria, and others stationed in Bahrain, Djibouti, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Since the October 2023 outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel, a U.S. ally and defense partner, U.S. forces in the Middle East have been increasingly targeted by some of these groups—and have regularly responded with counterstrikes. U.S. and coalition ships, for example, have protected merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, defending against near-daily Houthi drone and missile attacks. While a ceasefire in May 2025 ended Houthi attacks on U.S. ships, experts say the threat to non-U.S. commercial vessels remains high. 

The United States has also played a supporting role to Israel as its hostilities with Iran and Hezbollah have escalated. In April 2024, U.S. warplanes and ships intercepted dozens of drones and missiles fired at Israel in an unprecedented direct attack by Iran. In October 2024, the US announced it had sent four additional aircraft squadrons to the region.

The move came as Israel commenced a ground incursion against Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Iran launched another, larger barrage of missile strikes against Israel. U.S. naval forces reportedly shot a dozen interceptors at the Iranian missiles. In March 2025, B-2 stealth bombers were also reportedly deployed from their home base in Missouri to the joint U.S.-United Kingdom base in Diego Garcia, an island part of the British Indian Ocean Territory that is within striking range of Houthi territory and Iran. 

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has largely been in effect since November 2024, though tensions remain high. Meanwhile, Israel has ramped up its attacks on Iran, launching an operation in June 2025 taking aim at Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites, and top military commanders. U.S. aircraft and at least one warship that recently deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean have  helped Israel shoot down retaliatory Iranian ballistic missiles. U.S. President Donald Trump on June 21 green-lighted a U.S. attack on  Iranian nuclear sites in an attempt to curb the country’s growing atomic program. It was the first direct U.S. attack on Iranian soil. Iran’s leadership has warned that further U.S. involvement would risk all-out war.

U.S. military deployment levels in any region can fluctuate greatly depending on the security environment and national defense priorities. During major operations, there were as many as 160,000 troops in Iraq in 2007 and 100,000 in Afghanistan in 2011. As of June 2025, a U.S. defense official said there were some forty thousand US military service members across the Middle East.