Analysis | In Israel-Gaza war, US carriers and troops send signal of force if diplomacy fails
- Aircraft carriers in region give US ‘significant striking power’, retired admiral says
- US says the goal is to deter Hezbollah, other Iranian proxies from joining conflict
US President Joe Biden has spent the last week in frenzied diplomacy to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiralling into a broader conflict. But if those efforts fail, the US response may depend on the blunt force of its military.
The Pentagon has moved the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford and its battle group into the eastern Mediterranean, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group is on its way.
Each bristles with F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets and other advanced aircraft. In addition 2,000 Marines have been put on heightened alert for potential mobilisation.
For now, the administration says the point is to warn Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iranian proxies against getting involved.
The US has sent backchannel messages through countries such as Qatar to suggest to Iran that it’s serious about using force if necessary, according to an American official who discussed the sensitive situation on condition of anonymity.
