US withdraws aircraft carriers from Mediterranean, sends new message to Houthi

ABC News on January 1 quoted two US officials as saying that the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group will leave the eastern Mediterranean to return to its home port in Norlk, Virginia in the next few days as originally planned.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and the replenishment oiler USNS Laramie in the eastern Mediterranean in October 2023.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy's newest and largest aircraft carrier, was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean following a Hamas attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, as it neared the end of its first deployment.

According to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the USS Gerald R. Ford and its escorts were sent to prevent Iran and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon from expanding the conflict. In December 2023, Mr. Austin extended the Ford's deployment for the third time to maintain its deterrence role as tensions in the region remain high.

A senior US official said that despite the Ford's return, the US still has a lot of military forces in the region and can flexibly deploy additional cruisers or destroyers to the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The Pentagon did not comment on the ABC News report.

Last week, the USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall, two amphibious assault ships, sailed from the Red Sea to the eastern Mediterranean to join the USS Mesa Verde, which carries 2,200 Marines.

On the other hand, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group, after operating with the Ford in the Mediterranean, has been sent to the Arabian Gulf to prevent Iran from expanding the conflict. This ship is operating in the Gulf of Aden, east of Yemen. Several destroyers in the Ford and Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike groups have been deployed in the Red Sea to intercept missiles and drones of the Houthi forces, protecting commercial ships passing through the area.

On December 31, 2023, US Navy helicopters sank three small boats carrying Houthi fighters in the Red Sea. The helicopters, which took off from the aircraft carrier Eisenhower and the destroyer USS Gravely, returned fire in “self-defense” after being fired upon by the Houthi fighters first.

Houthi forces parade in Sanaa, Yemen in December 2023

The White House said on the same day that it did not want the conflict to expand in the Middle East after this incident, according to CNN. Previously, the US had avoided directly attacking groups in Yemen to avoid escalating tensions.

"We do not want a broader conflict in the region and we do not want a conflict with the Houthis. The best outcome is for the Houthis to stop these attacks as we have made clear time and time again," said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

The official stressed that the US has important national security interests in the region and will send the necessary forces to protect those interests. "We are not ruling anything out and we will make the right decision," Kirby said when asked about the possibility of a preemptive strike.

Similarly, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said London would not hesitate to take “direct action” to prevent future attacks, after the US sank three Houthi small boats that were attacking a container ship. “The Houthis should know clearly: we are committed to holding those responsible for these unlawful seizures and attacks to account,” Shapps wrote in the Telegraph .

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