The US has deployed a second aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean near Israel, amid rising tensions between the Jewish state and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with four other warships, left Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday and is expected to join the USS Gerald R. Ford, which arrived in the region earlier this week.
The Pentagon said the move was intended to show US support for Israel’s defense and to deter Iran or Hezbollah from joining the conflict.