US Navy aircraft carrier Harry Truman heads for Middle East as tensions escalate

The USS Harry Truman, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, has departed from its base in Norfolk, Virginia, heading to the Eastern Mediterranean as part of a strategic deployment by the US Navy.

Accompanied by a missile cruiser and two destroyers, the strike group’s mission comes in response to escalating tensions in the region, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of US Fleet Forces Command, emphasized the importance of maintaining a continuous naval presence, following the recent nine-month mission of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. He noted the operational experience gained is crucial for developing skilled warfighters prepared for a rapidly changing security environment.

Currently, the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is also operating in the Gulf of Oman, while the USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, is on standby in the Red Sea alongside two destroyers.

The Pentagon reports that approximately 40,000 US military personnel and numerous combat aircraft are stationed in the Middle East, with plans to increase this presence as needed. 

In addition to the ongoing conflict with Hamas, Israel has launched several attacks against Hezbollah, targets in Lebanon. Israeli strikes on September 23 have killed 558 people, wounded at least 1,645, according to the Lebanese health ministry, in the deadliest day of conflict in Lebanon since its 1975-90 civil war. 

The ministry said the death toll included at least 35 children, 58 women and two medics as the bombardments hit homes, medical centres, ambulances and cars of people trying to flee.

While the US Embassy in Beirut requested all Americans leave Lebanon, the Department of Defense has not been asked to do evacuations, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on September 23.

By Khagan Isayev