Five U.S. Army Special Operations forces have died in a helicopter crash in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, American officials said on Sunday. The troops were crew members of an MH-60 helicopter that was on a refueling training mission early Saturday when the aircraft crashed off the coast of Cyprus, three U.S. officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. The crash is under investigation, they said. The Pentagon has quietly dispatched to Cyprus commando teams from the Joint Special Operations Command, including the Army’s Delta Force and the Navy’s SEAL Team 6, to stand by in case they are needed to help evacuate American citizens from the region. The commandos are also trained in hostage rescue operations.

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Persons: Biden, Israel Organizations: U.S, Army Special Operations, Pentagon, Operations Command, Army’s Delta Force, Navy’s Locations: Cyprus, Israel, Gaza