United States – The United States has begun to reshape its priorities in the Middle East due to the ongoing Israeli escalation, which included assassinations in Beirut and Tehran, and raised questions about the expected response to it.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a near-complete redeployment of the most important naval vessels, the latest fighters and air defense systems, as the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln moved from a military base in Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, accompanied by a formation of destroyers, to make its way to the eastern Mediterranean.
According to an information report prepared by Salam Khader, the “Lincoln” is one of the largest American naval vessels and operates under the command of the Third Fleet, which is responsible for the Pacific region, and will be under the banner of the Sixth Fleet, which is responsible for the Mediterranean region.
In the Indian Ocean, near the Arabian Sea, the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt is positioned under the command of the Fifth Fleet, whose operations cover the Gulf and Red Sea regions.
Roosevelt is the only aircraft carrier currently in the region with a fighter formation and is operating within the so-called “Prosperity Guardian” coalition, after the completion of the missions of its predecessor, Eisenhower.
In addition to the two aircraft carriers, Washington has previously deployed an amphibious landing ship off the coast of Greece, as well as a group of destroyers deployed off the coast of Israel, which participated in intercepting missiles launched by Iran towards Israel last April.
As tensions rose, the US Secretary of Defense announced that the Pentagon had also deployed a squadron of F-22 Raptor aircraft, which Washington had banned from being exported even to its closest allies due to their superior capabilities.
The F-22 Raptor is called a stealth aircraft, it is difficult to detect and has tremendous maneuvering, interception and targeting capabilities.
With Israel expecting a multilateral response, the United States, Britain and other countries said they would support Israel in defending itself. After Lebanese factions threatened an inevitable response to the assassination of their top military leader, Fuad Shukr, the Houthis also threatened to respond to the bombing of the city of Hodeidah.
Although it is difficult to predict the timing, form, or repercussions of these responses, military activity is accelerating in a region on the brink of scenarios whose scope is unknown.
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2024-08-05 13:55:00
