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The troops were on a refueling training mission when the aircraft crashed off the coast of Cyprus. The episode, which Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said was an accident, is under investigation.
The downing of a Reaper drone, the mainstay of the American military’s aerial surveillance fleet, was the latest escalation of violence between the U.S. and Iran-backed groups in Yemen, Iraq and Syria.
The figures could not be independently verified, but a Pentagon spokesman acknowledged on Monday that “we know the numbers are in the thousands.”
The military has been sending weapons and advisers to Israel, but the flights suggest a more active American role.
The latest deployment is in response to growing threats from Iran and its allies in the region. President Biden has warned Iran to not join the war against Hamas.
The story is more complex than a caricature in Washington that President Biden is cautious to a fault, and says no until the pressure is insurmountable.
Israel’s conflict with Hamas, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the rise of China have brought a boom for weapons makers and a chance for Washington to build closer military ties to other countries.
The administration has grown increasingly anxious that Israel’s enemies may seek to widen the war with Hamas and has both sent diplomatic messages and deployed military assets to prevent it.
The moves were designed by the Biden administration to reassure Israelis of the United States’ commitment, despite months of tension between Mr. Biden and Israel’s prime minister.
President Biden has said the United States will assist Ukraine’s fight against Russia “for as long as it takes.” But Republican support for continuing aid has declined.