— As tensions rise in the Middle East, more North Carolina troops are being sent to the region. Around 2,500 Camp Lejeune Marines are being redirected to the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Marine Corps Times.

WITN reports hundreds of Marines aboard the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit ended their planned exercise with the Moroccan military to be redirected to the Mediterranean Sea. An official told the Marine Corps Times the unit canceled its plans for Exercise African Sea Lion, and instead, the troops will be attached to the United States' 6th Fleet while it is in the Mediterranean.

"It's a little nerve racking, just because obviously it feels like we just pulled a lot of people out of the Middle East, and now we're sending people back over," said Sophia Steele, a military spouse in Jacksonville. "And this could lead to a war...I feel like I'm just sitting here waiting. I have friends whose husbands are deploying to the Middle East soon, and I know people that are over there right now. It's very scary."

"A lot of people are coming to the realization of what could possibly happen," agreed Danielle Swartzentruber, another military spouse. "We have great people out there to fight for our country, so I guess all I can say is that I'm thankful."

According to Richard Woodruff, Jacksonville City Manager, local support is crucial.

"While this particular group has been deployed into a potentially dangerous situation, we are going to continue to support their families, we also certainly are going to pray for them on a daily basis," he said.

The unit is a special operations capable, air-ground task force, whose role is a crisis response. The latest deployment means at least 6,500 service members have been sent to the Middle East from North Carolina in the past five days, and the Jacksonville community is closely following developments there to see if any more troops will be needed.

"We do not know if it's going to escalate, or simply deescalate," Woodruff said. "Our prayers are that additional personnel would not have to be sent."

"My husband is not supposed to deploy anytime soon, but obviously with this going up, you never really know," Steele said. "If it does become scarier, I'm ready for that -- but if it turns out to be nothing, I'm ready for that too."