As Iran threatened to trigger an earthquake in Israel by bombing the country and Hezbollah amassed troops along the Israeli border, the United States moved its second aircraft carrier, the USS Eisenhower and its affiliated warships, near the war zone in the eastern Mediterranean on Sunday. This move is "to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas's attack," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said. In a veiled warning to Iran and Hezbollah, Austin said the deployment signals Washington's "ironclad commitment to Israel's security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war."
US warships deployed near war zone
The USS Eisenhower and its affiliated warships joined another carrier group USS Gerald R Ford that was deployed in the region last week. As the warship was deployed, President Joe Biden underscored US support for efforts to protect civilians amid the Israeli siege and bombardment of Gaza. In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he affirmed "his support for all efforts to protect civilians," the White House said in a statement.
Biden also spoke with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas for the first time since hostilities broke out, condemning "Hamas' brutal attack on Israel." "Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people's right to dignity and self-determination," Biden told Abbas, according to a White House statement. Earlier, Biden had described Hamas terrorists as "pure evil."
"Majority of Palestinians with no connection to Hamas is suffering"
"These guys make Al-Qaida look pure," he added. "It's also a priority for me to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. You know, we have to, we can't lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas and Hamas's appalling attacks, and they're suffering as a result, as well," the US President said.
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