(Dan Tri) – The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower may soon deploy to the eastern Mediterranean and will become the second US aircraft carrier to operate near Israel amid the tense war between Israel and Hamas.
US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (Photo: US Navy).
Stars and Stripes newspaper quoted US Department of Defense spokesman Bryon McGarry on October 10 as saying that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier combat team and other support ships are expected to leave Norfolk port in Virginia in
This will be the second US aircraft carrier deployed in the Mediterranean, near Israel.
Previously, this fleet of ships conducted naval exercises with Italy in the Ionian Sea.
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group includes 8 squadrons of attack and support aircraft, the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy and 4 Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas
`The appearance of this highly capable force in the region is a strong deterrent signal if any force hostile to Israel considers taking advantage of the current situation in the Middle East,` Mr. Michael Erik Kurilla
In March 2020, the US deployed two aircraft carriers to the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran.
The move to deploy a US aircraft carrier fleet in the Mediterranean this week comes amid an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip.
Fighting since October 7 has left more than 1,000 civilians in Israel dead, including at least 14 American citizens.
US President Joe Biden announced on October 10 that Washington will stand side by side with Israel and `ensure Israel has what it needs to protect its people and respond to Hamas’s attack`.
The international community, including Russia, China, and Türkiye, calls on all parties to exercise restraint to avoid damage to civilians.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan warned yesterday that the US’s deployment of an aircraft carrier battle group near Israel at this time could escalate the situation.
`What will a US aircraft carrier do near Israel, why do they send ships here? What will auxiliary ships and aircraft do?`, Mr. Erdogan said.
