WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 The Pentagon will continue to evaluate options for the deployment of American forces in the Mediterranean Sea, a department spokesman said in response to a question about the possibility of sending a second aircraft carrier there.
“The Secretary of Defense will continue to review plans for the deployment of the USS Gerald Ford and USS Dwight Eisenhower aircraft carriers to maintain the necessary balance of maritime capabilities in theaters and support national security priorities,” a US Department of Defense spokesman said.
The Pentagon noted that the strike group led by the Eisenhower will depart from Virginia in the coming weeks, according to schedule. The aircraft carrier will participate in exercises under the auspices of the Pentagon's European Command.
As reported, the American aircraft carrier Gerald Ford with a strike group arrived in the eastern Mediterranean. The White House emphasized that its deployment in the region should deter third parties from expanding escalation around Israel. In addition to the aircraft carrier itself, the carrier strike group includes a missile cruiser and four destroyers that carry guided missile weapons. Media reported that the United States could send a second aircraft carrier to the Israeli coast.
On the morning of October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. In addition, Hamas fighters, after massive rocket attacks, penetrated into the border areas in southern Israel.
The military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement announced Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel. The Israel Defense Forces announced the launch of Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to the nation, said that the country was in a state of war and said that he had ordered a widespread mobilization of reserves. The Israeli military is clearing populated areas.
The number of Israeli residents killed as a result of the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has exceeded 1 thousand, the Israeli Embassy in the United States reported on Tuesday. According to the latest data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the death toll as a result of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip has reached 922.
The Al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) said they had captured dozens of Israeli soldiers and officers. Hamas Politburo member Musa Abu Marzouk later reported that more than 100 Israeli citizens, including high-ranking military officials, were captured and held in the Gaza Strip.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier stated the need to urgently stop the bloodshed between Israel and Palestine and called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to him, a solution to the Palestinian problem is possible only on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions, which presuppose the coexistence of two states.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created. Israel, while declaring agreement with the two-state principle, did not completely liberate the Palestinian territories.