U.S. President Donald Trump denies reports he intends to deploy several thousands of troops to the Mideast calling it fake news.
Earlier John Rood, defense undersecretary for policy, told senators that Defense Secretary Mark Esper "intends to make changes" to the number of troops deployed in the region.
The troop deliberations follow several decisions since spring to beef up the U.S. presence in the Middle East because of a series of maritime attacks and bombings in Saudi Arabia that the U.S. and others have blamed on Iran.