2023-10-15 02:30:00
The United States has sent its second aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean to “deter hostile actions against Israel or any effort aimed at escalating the war in the wake of the Hamas attacks,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this week. Saturday (14).
The aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower and its warships will join another strike group already deployed in the region following Hamas’ attack on Israel and amid the Hebrew state’s response.
The development indicates Washington’s “unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor who seeks to escalate this war,” Austin said in a statement.
Last week, Israel launched deadly attacks after Hamas fighters crossed the heavily fortified border and killed more than 1,300 people. In Gaza, according to health authorities, more than 2,200 people have died. As on the Israeli side, the majority were civilians.
The United States sent ammunition to Israel and warned other countries not to escalate the conflict.
On the same day as the announcement of the deployment of the second aircraft carrier, President Joe Biden emphasized in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the United States’ support for efforts to protect civilians amid the bombardment in Gaza.
“President Biden has expressed his support for all efforts to protect civilians,” the White House said in a statement about that call, without specifically referencing the enclave.
Biden also spoke Saturday with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas for the first time since hostilities began, condemning Hamas’ “brutal attack on Israel.”
“Hamas does not defend the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination,” Biden told Abbas, according to the White House statement.
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