The United States has deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean region with the primary objective of discouraging hostile actions against Israel and preventing any further escalation of the ongoing conflict.
In a statement released on Saturday night, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed that the presence of the USS Eisenhower and its accompanying warships in the eastern Mediterranean vividly underscores the United States’ unwavering commitment to ensuring Israel’s security.
Furthermore, it signifies the US’s determination to dissuade any party, whether a state or non-state actor, from exacerbating the conflict.
It’s worth noting that the United States had previously deployed its first carrier strike group, led by the USS Gerald R. Ford, to Israel in response to an attack by Hamas, which tragically resulted in the loss of over 700 lives, including nine US citizens.
This development comes as Israel’s military issued an urgent evacuation notice to the residents of Gaza, urging over 1.1 million people to move to the southern part of the besieged territory in anticipation of an imminent ground invasion in response to the sudden attack by the ruling Hamas militant group.
However, the U.N. had warned that evacuating almost half of crowded Gaza’s population would be calamitous, and it urged Israel to reverse the unprecedented directive.