US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on October 14 that the Pentagon will deploy a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean to enhance Israel's security and prevent the conflict from spreading.
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| The US continuously sends military ships and planes to the Middle East. (Source: ABC News) |
The USS Eisenhower and its warships will join the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, which was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean after the conflict broke out on October 7. The decision to deploy a second carrier strike group to the region demonstrates Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security and its determination to prevent the conflict from spreading, Secretary Austin said in a statement.
The Pentagon said the US could meet “any request that our Israeli partners may have.” The Pentagon is “working as quickly as possible” to expedite the delivery of “critically needed” ammunition and equipment, as well as reaching out to defense contractors to meet the Israeli request. The US is also “in constant dialogue with the Israelis on the action plan.”
Following the attack by the Hamas Islamic Movement on Israel, international public opinion is increasingly concerned that the current conflict will spread across the region.
In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 14, Chancellor Olaf Scholz once again reaffirmed Germany’s “full solidarity” with Israel. Both Prime Ministers agreed on “the importance of efforts to avoid a wider conflict in the region, in particular the involvement of Hezbollah fighters in the current conflict.”
On the same day, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, stressing the importance of efforts to prevent all forms of violence against civilians and the commitment of all parties to the conflict to international humanitarian law.
Prince Faisal called on China, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, to urge the body to fulfill its responsibility to maintain international peace and security. He also demanded an immediate end to military operations and an end to the siege on the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari announced that the forces are preparing to expand their offensive campaign in the Gaza Strip, including coordinated attacks from the air, land and sea.
On October 14, Israel's air defense system intercepted dozens of rockets from the Gaza Strip, while the IDF continued airstrikes and issued a second evacuation notice for residents in Gaza.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the Hamas-Israel conflict has caused Palestinian casualties to rise to 2,215 people killed and 8,714 injured. Meanwhile, Israeli media, citing official sources, stated that since the conflict broke out, the country has recorded more than 1,300 deaths and nearly 3,400 injuries.
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