Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced on Sunday that he’s ordered the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean to show US support for Israel amid fighting in Gaza and southern Israel.
The strike group is led by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. Austin said the group also includes the “Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), as well as the Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS Carney (DDG 64), and USS Roosevelt (DDG 80).”
On top of the deployment, Austin said the US is increasing its presence of fighter jets in the region. “We have also taken steps to augment US Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region,” he said. “The US maintains ready forces globally to further reinforce this deterrence posture if required.”
The US has shown strong support in the wake of the Hamas attack on southern Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring Israel is “at war.” Biden told Netanyahu on Sunday that additional military aid was on its way, and Austin said it includes “munitions” for the Israeli military.
Austin said the steps he announced “underscores the United States’ ironclad support for the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli people.”
In just two days of fighting, over 1,000 people are dead, including over 600 Israelis and over 400 Palestinians. The situation is expected to escalate as Israel might launch a ground invasion of Gaza.
JFC.
If that means what I think it does,I agree.
How to win friends and influence people (to end your unipolar moment).
An effing carrier strike group? To protect Israel from rebellious concentration camp prisoners? It would be funny if it weren’t a full-on disaster.
I didn’t know that Palestine had any fighter aircraft that needed shooting down. But the cruise missiles will fly sure as hell.
They’re bluffing against anticipated help from Hezbollah, Syriah (Iran/Russia), … ??
Yeah, Hezbollah.
Don’t underestimate how incompetent the US military is at fighting people-who-actually-shoot-back. They need all the air support they can muster
The US military is not going to join in attacks on Gaza or the West Bank. Even Biden and the neocon crazies aren’t that crazy. I suppose they might launch a few cruise missiles at Hezbollah, if Hezbollah weighs in.
Huh, so Palestinians have a secret navy and Air Force? Guess US is really gearing up to confront Iran…
Confronting Iran certainly seems plausible. But the US Navy might be going there to prevent genocide.
Really? Prevent genocide?
in Gaza
Who’s genes??
Hagar’s
I don’t think the US gives a shit how many Palestinians Israel murders.
You might be right.
He is right. The only thing that matters to the U.S. (my home country) is that AIPAC support next year.
More that the US Military knows it can’t take on more than a junior high paintball team without massive air support. And even then it’s a 50/50 proposition
To try to prevent Hezbollah from starting ww3.
Was this Israel’s 911? Was the Israeli Communications and Signals Intelligence Agency asleep at the switch? None of this makes sense.
It’s always the right time to do the wrong thing. (Sarcasm)
I’m not sure that I’m buying the idea that Israel didn’t know this was coming. The settler unrest in Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa Mosque were provocations that could not have been missed.
It cannot do a damn thing…!
Exactly. Except, it can do one thing really well… Make us look exactly as hypocritical, silly, and stupid as we actually are. (sarcasm)
It can. Help with intelligence.
Isn’t that what the USS Liberty was doing in 1967? (irreverent sarcasm)
WHY does Israel “need” this support?? They have BY FAR the most powerful and capable military in the region, and they are fighting a bunch of guerillas, with no tanks, no air force, and limited firepower.
WHY does the USA insert itself into every single conflict???
Of course Israel does not need the help of that Strike Group. It is beyond belief that we will bomb Gaza. Politicians who are on shaky grounds need to display muscles to shore up their image. With election campaigns coming up Biden needs to prove that he is not “weak”, and accusation which Trump is already throwing at him.
It surely is one of the reasons but not the only one.
“It is beyond belief that we will bomb Gaza.”
Do you think those Aegis systems will not be shared with the Israelis operating in Gaza?
I suspct the logic (which I do not endorse) runs something like this: Without a carrier strike group, etc., in the area and announcing bellicose support for Israel, chances increase that other regional powers — including Jordan, Syria, Egypt or Iran — might become directly militarily involved, leading to a 1948/56/67/73 scale conflict instead of just the usual “Israeli bombing/invasion of Gaza for as long as Likud finds it politically beneficial” routine.
Yes; they will say that; yet Jordan and Egypt are “client states” of the USA, both having received significant military assistance over the last 20 years; and Syria is actively under a US invasion and occupation force. In fact, Biden has proposed $1.45 Billion in “aid” to Jordan for 2024; and Egypt has received some $80 BILLION in aid (most of it military) since 1978, and even with human rights sanctions will receive near $250 million in security assistance this year (2023).
EVERYONE in the region is on our payroll, except for Iran, who are painfully aware that the US has been dying to find a pretext to attack them for decades, so are unlikely to give us one.
If we can’t trust our clients to “behave”, why are we still paying them??
All true. The real reasons for sending a carrier strike group to that place, at this time, are presumably:
1) To justify more “defense” spending; and
2) To ceremonially curtsy to the Israel lobby in the US.
A trillion a year or bust!
and even with human rights sanctions will receive near $250 million in security assistance this year (2023).
Weren’t they to receive $1.3 billion that was “slashed” that $250 million for those human rights abuses? So around $1.1 billion?
The only human rights abuses I see are mass rapes and carrying off people into captivity-on the part of Hamas.
Then you don’t have your eyes open. And I was talking about Egypt here and not the apartheid practicing Israelis.
Israel does not need a pretext to attack Iran.they have been cocked and loaded for quite a while. This has all the makings of a World War 3 or 4 depending on how Ukraine turns out.Humanity will have to be extremely lucky to survive this nonsense and arrogance.
BS.
So here Gulf of Tonkin II might be on the way.
Either that or they believe the Israelis are as incompetent as themselves in dealing with people-who-actually-shoot-back without massive air support on tap
Israel always wants America to do their dirty work. Saves them money and effort and AIPAC donations are always appreciated in Wash.
Jordan, Syria and Egypt wouldn’t care very much about what happens to the Palestinians.
I think Wash. wants Iran to fire the first shot for obvious reasons. A concerted US/Israel strike on Iran probably is the goal.
Washington would certainly prefer a “first shot” from Iran … but if it wants to attack Iran, it can manufacture that “first shot” itself if it needs to.
Certainly Egypt and Jordan have nothing to gain by involvement.
You know the answer but it truly is a question for the ages.
Handouts and contributions are always welcome in Tel Aviv. And, will keep that AIPAC money coming into Wash. Who benefits? Always ask that and follow the money.
Israel needs a U.S.carrier strike group against Hamas? You know you are weak and pathetic when you have to overcompensate.
It’s about Iran and WWIII.
I’m beginning to see this tragedy as an excuse against Syria.
Just another dog and pony show for the cameras. The US isn’t about to use its naval air assets on Gaza- can you imagine the domestic and international blowback on that? The mantra is that Iran is behind it, but we’re not going to go after them either- and upset the already precarious oil balance? Even if the Saudis-UAE line up with the Palestinians with direct support, does anyone really think we’re going to attack them- again, disrupting the flow of oil? In short, the only purpose would be to give neighboring nations pause to think before going all in on Israel- otherwise, it’s a big expensive show of force with no teeth behind it. We’re already up to our necks supporting the Ukraine- are we really prepared to pivot all that to Israel and guarantee an early end to the conflict in Eastern Europe (and an end not in our favor)?
Yup. This.
But, maybe a concerted strike on Iran with Israel? Remember Gen. Wesley Clark’s 7 countries to ‘take out’ and Iran will be the last?
I wouldn’t count on Saudi Arabia or UAE doing anything to support the Palestinian people . They have sold them long time ago.
The US the honest broker honestly!
If WWIII beaks out over this, be assured Israel will give the Palestinians the Canaanite treatment, clean out all non-Jewish elements and trash the Dome and other non-Jewish holy sites to build their temple. The goal of Zionism is to revive the empire of David, which also includes parts of other countries in the middle east. But, I don’t know if those other countries will get on board with the agenda.
As I am on record for many years, Israel can not start a war with Iran until Hezbollah has been defanged. Israel can not defang Hezbollah by itself. It needs direct US military support to do so. US Navy missile carriers in the eastern Med can drop Tomahawks on southern Lebanon. They could be supported by B-52s in the region (I’m not currently aware of their deployment but they have been deployed in the region previously.) The possibility of US ground troops can not be dismissed, but it’s possible that Israel thinks they can win as long as they get massive US air and naval support.
I suspect this entire affair was planned by the US neocons and Israel to start a regional war to do the following: 1) destroy Hamas, 2) eliminate (or try to, at least) Hezbollah with US help, 3) extend the war into Syria as a means of “lateral escalation” against Russia, and 4) possibly start – or set the preconditions for starting – a war between the US/Israel and Iran.
We’ll see how it develops.
Defanging Hez will make the world a better place.
Defenestrating you would make the world a better place.
Is the a possibility of Liberty II? This time Iran will be held responsible?
99% yes.