The Pentagon has ordered a second carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea and is sending Air Force fighter jets to the region as Israel prepares to expand its Gaza operations, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Saturday. The first carrier strike group, led by the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived off the coast of Israel last week. Now the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group, which deployed from Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday, is headed to the eastern Mediterranean. It is unclear how long the Ford will stay in the region once the Eisenhower carrier strike group arrives, one US defense official told CNN. The Eisenhower, which is the flagship of the carrier strike group, will be joined by a guided-missile cruiser and two guided-missile destroyers, Austin&#’;s statement said.

Source: CNN October 15, 2023 23:37 UTC