No sooner had President Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that military assistance is on its way to Israel for its war against Hamas than the Pentagon announced a deployment. Biden made the assurance in a phone call on Sunday, the New York Times reports, that included a discussion of the seizure of Israeli civilian hostages. "The president emphasized that there is no justification whatsoever for terrorism," a White House statement said, "and all countries must stand united in the face of such brutal atrocities." Biden promised the flow of aid would continue in the days ahead.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday that the Ford carrier strike group is sailing for the Eastern Mediterranean. The major deployment includes various ships and warplanes, per the AP. The centerpiece is the Gerald R. Ford, the Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier. It carries a crew of about 5,000. Also going is the cruiser USS Normandy and the destroyers Thomas Hudner, Ramage, Carney, and Roosevelt. The Pentagon is bolstering Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the area. The carrier group, which is based in Norfolk, already was in the region on its first deployment; it conducting exercises last week in the Ionian Sea with Italy.
"The US maintains ready forces globally to further reinforce this deterrence posture if required," Austin said in a statement. A Hamas spokesman criticized the new US aid, per the Times, as demonstrating the Americans' "active participation in the aggression against our people." Israeli defense officials have asked for specific armaments, per the Washington Post. They include Iron Dome interceptors, small-diameter bombs, and rounds of ammunition for machine guns. Israel also requested greater intelligence-sharing with the US concerning the military situation in southern Lebanon. (More US-Israeli relations stories.)
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