Attacks on American troops dramatically ramped up over the weekend, the Pentagon said Monday, as the U.S. military sent ships and a submarine into the region.

U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked by rockets and drones 38 times since Oct. 17, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Monday, an increase from 31 on Friday afternoon. Forty-six service members in total have now reported injuries from the attacks, which he called “harassing,” he said.

Ryder did not specify the source of the attacks, but the Pentagon has recently blamed similar events on Iran-backed proxies.

Sunday was a particularly violent day, with five rocket and one-way drone attacks near Al-Asad Airbase, Iraq, and in two locations in Syria, according to a Defense Department official, who was granted anonymity to give details on a sensitive topic.

The U.S. military was able to thwart most of the attacks, the official said, adding that the majority of missiles and drones failed to reach their targets.

The increase in attacks came as Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the region, including an unannounced trip to Iraq on Sunday. During the stop, Blinken received a briefing on threats to American troops in the region, and called the attacks “unacceptable.”

Blinken also met with leaders in Israel, Jordan and Turkey, and stopped in the West Bank, in a whirlwind trip aimed at cooling tensions in the region.

Also this weekend, the Pentagon blitzed the air waves with announcements of new force movements. The Navy posted photos and videos of the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike groups exercising together with two Italian frigates in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. On Saturday, U.S. Central Command posted photosof the Eisenhower group arriving in the Middle East, and announced the deployment of a bomber task force over the region as well.

Then Sunday, the Defense Department took the rare step of announcing it had deployed an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine to the region.

The movements are designed to “further support our deterrence efforts in the region,” Ryder said Monday.

All of the 46 service members who sustained injuries were hurt during attacks that occurred prior to the U.S. retaliatory airstrikes on Oct. 26, said Ryder, noting that many of the troops reported injuries in the days and weeks after the initial attacks. The injuries were sustained primarily in attacks on Al Asad in Iraq and the Al Tanf garrison in Syria on Oct. 17 and 18; one additional service member was wounded in an incident in Erbil, Iraq, on Oct. 26.

“Reporting data is highly dependent on self-reporting when injuries are not visually evident to medical personnel providing care directly following an incident,” Ryder said of the fluctuating numbers.

Twenty-four service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, Ryder said. Two of those were initially returned to duty, but have now been transported to Germany to receive further treatment “out of an abundance of caution,” he said. They are in stable condition, he added.

The additional injuries included headaches, perforated eardrums, tinnitus, rolled ankles and more, he said.

George Norcross, a New Jersey Democratic power broker, was ejected from an Eagles game Sunday night after he displayed a banner that combined the American and Israeli flags from his luxury box.

Now Norcross, who was accompanied by a group that included Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, is threatening to sue the Eagles, the NFL and a security company.

“As a longtime passionate fan and season ticket holder, I have watched the Eagles/NFL make clear and strong statements on numerous important civil justice issues and ethnic and world conflicts, including supporting the people of Ukraine, so as a strong supporter of Israel — a country which was viciously attacked by the terrorist group Hamas less than a month ago — I thought it was an important statement to make,” Norcross said in a statement.

Video of Norcross’ ejection, in which he could be seen arguing angrily with the staff of Lincoln Financial Field before being escorted from his box, spread quickly on social media Sunday night. Norcross claims he was “assaulted” by staff.

Lincoln Financial Field’s policy bars signs and banners “that are obscene or indecent, not event-related, potentially offensive to other patrons, capable of blocking the views of other fans or otherwise deemed dangerous or inappropriate by the Eagles are prohibited. They may not contain commercial messages, logos or political endorsements and may not be hung on the stadium structure.”

No other signs or banners are visible in the area around Norcross’ box. Norcross’ banner, which was not related to the game, hung on the stadium’s structure. But in his statement, Norcross said he was cited for the flag being “‘obscene or indecent’ or otherwise inappropriate.”

“[A]s I consider whether to file suit against the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFL and the security company which yanked me out of the box and paraded me in front of thousands of fans, I urge other supporters of Israel to make their feelings known to the team and the NFL just as they have to universities like Penn and Harvard,” Norcross said.

Norcross did not explain on what grounds he is considering suing. Representatives of the Eagles did not immediately respond to a call and email seeking comment.

An insurance executive from Camden County, Norcross has been a powerful political figure in New Jersey since the early 1990s, though he’s never held elected office. Despite their party differences, Norcross and Christie had a strong working relationship when Christie was governor of New Jersey, and Norcross’ power peaked during Christie’s administration.

However, Norcross — who is now a resident of Florida — has lost a significant amount of power following South Jersey’s political shift to the right during Donald Trump’s presidency and amid infighting party infighting with Gov. Phil Murphy and Democrats from the northern half of the state. Norcross told POLITICO in May that he was stepping back from statewide politics — a claim that was widely met with skepticism.

Norcross, who’s known to hold well-attended tailgate parties before Eagles games, in his statement doubled down on his support for Israel.

“There is no dispute: On October 7th, Hamas murdered innocent Israeli civilians, raped women, and butchered children, and continues to hold hostages,” he said. “I believe Israel has the right to defend itself, just as the United States did following the September 11th attacks and I will remain a proud and vocal defender of its right to do so. Americans have the right to peacefully protest, but that does not include the right to threaten people with bodily harm or even death.”