(Dan Tri) – US forces may face danger when bringing an aircraft carrier battle group close to Israel amid escalating conflicts in the region.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford moved with Norwegian military ships and aircraft in May (Photo: Norwegian Armed Forces).
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on October 8 announced plans to dispatch the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean amid the escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip.
In addition, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the US military has `taken steps to strengthen the US Air Force’s F-15, F-16 and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.`
The redeployment of US forces in the area took place one day after Hamas armed forces launched a large-scale surprise attack on Israel, killing more than 1,000 people and injuring more than 2,000 others.
Map of the Gaza Strip area (Photo: BBC).
USS Gerald R. Ford is the US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier.
It is unclear where exactly the US aircraft carrier battle group will move to, but an IDF spokesman said the US message behind the deployment of forces to the Israeli coast is that any war group
`What the United States wants to convey, is for all the other armed groups in the region – and their masterminds in Tehran, their Iranian masters – if you think this is a good time to get involved.`
The IDF representative’s comments came in the context of sporadic gun battles between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group in Lebanon believed to be allied with Hamas and also backed by Iran.
The fighting that broke out in the past two days has raised concerns that Hezbollah could become more involved and open a second front in the context of Israel’s fighting with Hamas, causing the crisis to escalate.
A spokesman for Hezbollah warned that if Washington intervened directly in the conflict, all US assets would become targets.
F-18 fighter jet on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (Photo: Getty).
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, Hezbollah is considered `the world’s most heavily armed non-state organization`.
Hezbollah’s possession of anti-ship weapons means that the US warship group will pass through a dangerous, heavily defended sea on the journey to the eastern Mediterranean.
Targeting a US aircraft carrier strike group would result in a serious escalation, but forces in the Middle East have fired on US warships before.
A senior US defense official warned Hezbollah forces in Lebanon not to open a second front against Israel amid Israel’s conflict with Hamas.
US officials stated that one of the reasons why the US deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean was to warn armed groups backed by Iran, including Hezbollah.
`They should not doubt America’s commitment to supporting Israel’s defense,` the US official emphasized.
