The US has sent another aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean to join USS Gerald R. Ford, the first carrier to reach the Mediterranean last week amid the Israel-Hamas conflagration. This comes ahead of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Sunday.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday directed the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to begin moving to the Eastern Mediterranean. "As part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas's attack on Israel, the Strike Group includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Mason (DDG 87), and Carrier Air Wing 3, with nine aircraft squadrons, and embarked headquarters staffs," Austin said.
The Eisenhower CSG will join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which arrived earlier this week. The Ford CSG includes the USS Normandy, USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt. Earlier in the week, the US Air Force announced deployment to the region of squadrons of F-15, F-16 and A-10 fighter aircraft, he said.
"The increases to US force posture signal the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war," Austin said.
Meanwhile, Blinken's meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT). This is Blinken's fourth day of the Middle Eastern trip as war breaks out between Israel and Hamas. The top American diplomat's tour comes amid fears that the crisis will spread across the Middle East. He started his tour on Thursday in Israel, voicing U.S. support for Washington's closest Middle East ally in its war against Hamas. He has visited Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, meeting senior leaders and officials. On Sunday, he is expected to travel to Egypt.