The U.S. is deploying an additional "few thousand troops" and aircraft to the Middle East amid escalating tensions between Israel, Hezbollah and the Houthis, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday, reports the Hill.

"Secretary [of Defense Lloyd] Austin increased the readiness of additional U.S. forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies," she told reporters.

She also said the forces "cover a wide range of capabilities and missions."

The Israeli military launched small ground raids against Hezbollah and sealed off communities along its northern border on Monday as Israeli artillery pounded southern Lebanon and signals grew that more forces could soon be sent across the border to fight the Iran-backed militants.

The move comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to Iran — Hezbollah's backer — that it could also become a target, while Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's killing "shall not go unavenged."

"Those who strike at us, we will strike at them," Netanyahu said late on Saturday. "There is nowhere in Iran or the Middle East beyond the reach of the long arm of Israel, and today you know how true that is."

Israel last Friday launched a massive airstrike that killed the leader of the Hezbollah militant group.

While welcoming the killing of Nasrallah as "a measure of justice," President Joe Biden on Saturday said he asked the Pentagon "to further enhance the defense posture of U.S. military forces in the Middle East region to deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war."

• Biden Calls for Cease-Fire; Israel Mulls Entering Lebanon
• As Ground War Looms, Israel Launches Small Raids Against Hezbollah in Lebanon