The USS Eisenhower and its affiliated warships will join another carrier group already deployed to the region in the wake of the attack on Israel a week ago and Israel's ongoing response.
The deployment signals Washington's "ironclad commitment to Israel's security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war," Austin said in a statement.
A week of deadly Israeli salvos was sparked by a Hamas raid which saw fighters break through the heavily fortified border between the Gaza Strip and Israel and gun down, stab and burn to death more than 1,300 people.
In Gaza, health officials said Israel's response had killed more than 2,200 people. As on the Israeli side, most of them were civilians.
The United States has sent munitions to Israel and warned other countries not to escalate the conflict.
The same day as the announcement of the second carrier deployment, President Joe Biden underscored US support for efforts to protect civilians amid the Israeli siege and bombardment of Gaza in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"President Biden affirmed his support for all efforts to protect civilians," the White House said in a statement about the call, which did not specifically mention the enclave.
Biden also spoke Saturday with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas for the first time since hostilities broke out, condemning "Hamas' brutal attack on Israel."
"Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people's right to dignity and self-determination," Biden told Abbas, according to a White House statement about the conversation between the two leaders.
Britain deploys Royal Navy vessels, spy aircraft and marines in support of Israel
Washington DC (UPI) Oct 15, 2023 -
Britain said Friday it was sending two Royal Navy ships, RAF surveillance aircraft, and marines, to the eastern Mediterranean to provide backup amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
The deployment was meant to deliver "practical support to Israel and partners in the region, and offer deterrence and assurance" while the Boeing P8 spy planes would begin patrols Friday to "track threats to regional stability such as the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups," No. 10 and the Defense Ministry said in a news release.
The Royal Navy task group would be arriving in the eastern Mediterranean next week as a contingency measure to support humanitarian efforts.
Three Merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines are also being dispatched with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ordering military forces in Israel, Cyprus and across the region to be reinforced to "support contingency planning and the efforts of neighboring countries to deal with any spillover from instability in Israel."
The announcement came a day after Sunak pledged Britain's unwavering support in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, underscored by the dispatching to Israel of Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Wednesday.
"We must be unequivocal in making sure the types of horrific scenes we have seen this week will not be repeated," said Sunak. "Alongside our allies, the deployment of our world-class military will support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation.
"Our military and diplomatic teams across the region will also support international partners to re-establish security and ensure humanitarian aid reaches the thousands of innocent victims of this barbaric attack from Hamas terrorists," the prime minister added.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office said it was chartering flights to evacuate British citizens stranded in Israel after at least eight airlines suspended flights to the country with the first aircraft plane was expected to depart Thursday from Tel Aviv.
However, no flights had taken off as of Friday morning with a Foreign Office spokesman telling the BBC that the situation was "fluid," and it was working to ensure the flight could depart "as soon as possible."
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