Military documents revealed that the US military was prepared for the possibility of American forces stationed in Iraq participating in the Israeli ground war on Gaza despite President Joe Biden’s repeated promises not to send troops to the region, according to the “Intercept” website.

A memo issued by US Air Force personnel last January, obtained by The Intercept, describes military orders to remain “ready for forward deployment to support forces in the event that the United States becomes involved on the ground in the Gaza war.”

According to a separate personnel document, the reserve order relates to individuals who were deployed last year to Iraq.

While the documents do not indicate that US ground military intervention in the war is imminent, the January memo is the latest indication of the Pentagon’s preparations to support Israel in the wake of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Days after the attacks, the US military reportedly placed 2,000 soldiers on readiness orders for deployment to elicit possible support for Israel, albeit from neighboring countries – orders that were confirmed by a procurement document obtained by the site.

The Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment on the staff memo on readiness for ground engagement, but the White House has stressed in the past that its support for Israel in the Gaza war will not include the deployment of ground forces.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said: “There are no plans or intentions to deploy US troops on the ground in combat in Israel.” “But as we also said, we have significant national security interests in the region.”

Two days after Kirby's comments, the White House inadvertently shared a photo of President Joe Biden in Israel standing alongside members of secret US special operations units, before quickly deleting it.

The New York Times reported in late October that US special operations personnel were in Israel to assist in hostage rescue efforts.

The documents obtained provide a stark reminder of the pervasive US military presence in the Middle East, with personnel deployed to areas where many Americans believe the mission is long over - and how quickly such orders can be repurposed in new conflicts.

The records include, for example, individuals deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the name the US military gives to the war against the Islamic State. Although ISIS was expelled from its last strongholds years ago, the war continues, providing the legal basis for the continued US military presence in Iraq and Syria.

Former President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter in December 2018, saying: “We defeated ISIS in Syria, which is the only reason we were there during the Trump presidency.”

Shortly thereafter, Trump announced that US forces in the country "will all be back," and Trump later announced that all US forces in Iraq would be withdrawn as well.

Despite these announcements, US forces remained in Syria as well as in Iraq, where they remain to this day. The White House said the deployments are “part of a comprehensive strategy to defeat ISIS.” “To reduce the potential resurgence of these groups and mitigate threats to the United States homeland.”