US to withdraw largest aircraft carrier in world from Israel's shores - report
The world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrives at Mediterranean Sea on October 11, 2023
The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is set to depart the Mediterranean Sea, close to three months since it was deployed to the area in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 massacre on Israel and fears of a multi-front war, ABC News reported Sunday night.
The USS Gerald Ford, the latest, largest, and most formidable addition to the US Navy’s nuclear carrier fleet, possesses the capability to independently launch strikes on Lebanon, Syria, or Iran.
It is supported by US Air Force refueling planes from the Emirates and sails with a battle group of five destroyers.
USS Gerald R. Ford set to return ‘as originally scheduled’
According to ABC, citing an unnamed senior US official, the carrier and “other surface ships that make up the strike group” will return to the United States “as originally scheduled so it could prepare for future deployments.”
“The carrier’s return will keep to that schedule and that even with the Ford’s departure, the United States will still have a lot of military capability in the region and flexibility,” ABC quoted the official as saying.
The US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford on its way into the Oslo Fjord, at Jeloya, Moss, Norway, May 24, 2023 (credit: TERJE PEDERSEN/NTB/VIA REUTERS)
The US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford on its way into the Oslo Fjord, at Jeloya, Moss, Norway, May 24, 2023 (credit: TERJE PEDERSEN/NTB/VIA REUTERS)
As per the report, American military presence in the region will continue to be boosted by the deployment of cruisers and destroyers in the Mediterranean. a US Defense Department spokesperson said, “We have nothing to announce today,” when contacted by ABC for comment.
Along with the carrier, the Pentagon also added fighter jets in the East Mediterranean region. Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved the sale to Israel of M107 155 mm. artillery shells and related equipment without congressional review, the Pentagon said.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.