Aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower deploys from Naval Station Norfolk, Oct. 14, 2023
Aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower deploys from Naval Station Norfolk, Oct. 14, 2023

US sending second carrier strike group, fighter jets to region as Israel prepares to expand Gaza operations

The Pentagon has ordered a second carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea and is sending Air Force fighter jets to the region as Israel prepares to expand its Gaza operations, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Saturday.

 

The US warships are not intended to join the fighting in Gaza or take part in Israel’s operations, but the presence of two of the Navy’s most powerful vessels is designed to send a message of deterrence to Iran and Iranian proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The movements are “part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel,” Austin said in the statement.

The first carrier strike group, led by the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived off the coast of Israel last week.

Now the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group, which deployed from Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday, is headed to the eastern Mediterranean. The aircraft carrier was initially set to sail for the waters of US European Command.

It is unclear at this point how long the Ford will stay in the region once the Eisenhower carrier strike group arrives, one US defense official told CNN.

The Eisenhower, which is the flagship of the carrier strike group, will be joined by a guided-missile cruiser and two guided-missile destroyers, Austin’s statement said.

The Eisenhower can carry more than 60 aircraft, including F/A-18 fighter jets. The Ford can deploy more than 75 aircraft.

ABC News first reported the carrier strike group’s orders.

A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron "Mighty Black Panthers" lands in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, Oct. 13, 2023.

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