The Pentagon is preparing to deploy about 3,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, adding to the thousands of Marines already headed to the region to assist with operations in Iran.

No decisions have been made for troops to enter the country, according to two defense officials, who confirmed the planned deployment. But the buildup of troops is a drastic escalation in the U.S.-Israel war against the Iranian regime and heightens the possibility that American servicemembers will go into Iran.