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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Sunday that he has ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier to “accelerate” toward the Middle East as Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip has not heightened concerns about an imminent regional conflict, the Pentagon said.
General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said Austin ordered the carrier strike group, which carries F-35C fighter jets, to move faster because of the possibility of a full-scale attack from Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, or directly from Iran itself, on Israeli territory.
Ryder added that Austin held talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Yoav Garad yesterday and ordered the deployment of the USS Georgia nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine to the region.
According to the spokesman, the two also discussed operations in the Gaza Strip, the need to reduce “civilian harm”, “progress on a ceasefire agreement” and the release of hostages held in the enclave following the attack by a group closely linked to Iran.
Tensions escalated further when Hezbollah militant leader Fuad Shoukr was killed in an Israeli bombardment in the southern suburbs of Beirut and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, also attributed to Israel.
Washington announced last week that it was reinforcing its forces in the Middle East, notably deploying warships and fighter jets. The USS Abraham Lincoln will join another aircraft carrier in the region, the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
Source: RES-MPE
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