Hundreds of U.S. troops have been evacuated from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and from bases in Bahrain that host the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, Pentagon officials tell The New York Times.

The move is viewed as a precautionary step amid rising tensions with Iran — especially ahead of a potential U.S. strike, which Tehran is expected to respond to by targeting American forces in the region.

According to the report, U.S. troops are no longer stationed at bases in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the UAE as part of the drawdown.

Meanwhile, Fox News says the reporting is totally false, citing unnamed US officials. CENTCOM tells New Nation that the NY Times reports are not true.

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