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  6.  » Confirmed: US sending second carrier strike group, fighter jets to region as Israel prepares to expand Gaza operations

Oren Liebermann, Natasha Bertrand and Brad Lendon – CNN.com Oct 15, 2023

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.

US forces not there to aid Israel

The Biden administration made clear that the carrier, and its accompanying force, are not there to engage in combat activities on behalf of Israel.

“There is no intention or plan to put American troops on the ground in Israel,” said John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, on Thursday. Kirby underscored that the purpose of the increased military presence in the region is to deter others from entering the conflict if they perceive weakness on the part of Israel.

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