US sends second aircraft carrier to support Israel
(Baonghean.vn) - According to AFP news agency, the US is sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean region "to prevent hostile actions against Israel or any attempt to expand the current war after the Hamas attack".
This is the statement of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on October 14 (local time).
Accordingly, the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier and accompanying warships will join another aircraft carrier group that has been deployed to the region following the attack on Israel a week ago and Israel's ongoing response.
The deployment signals “Washington’s ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and our determination to deter any state or non-state actor from escalating this conflict,” Mr. Austin said in a statement.
A week of bloody fighting in Israel was sparked by a Hamas raid that saw militants cross the fortified border between the Gaza Strip and Israel and launch attacks that left more than 1,300 people dead, AFP reported.
In Gaza, health officials say Israel's retaliation has killed more than 2,200 people. On the Israeli side, the majority of casualties were civilians.
The US has sent ammunition to Israel and warned other countries not to escalate the conflict.
On the same day as the announcement of the deployment of the second aircraft carrier, US President Joe Biden, in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasized US support for efforts to protect civilians amid Israel's siege and bombardment of Gaza.
“President Biden affirmed his support for all efforts to protect civilians,” the White House said in a statement about the call, which did not specifically mention the region.
On October 14, Mr. Biden also spoke for the first time since the outbreak of hostilities with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas, criticizing "Hamas' brutal attack on Israel."
“Hamas does not represent the dignity and self-determination of the Palestinian people,” Mr. Biden told Mr. Abbas, according to a White House statement about the conversation between the two leaders.
