The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp entered the sea Mediterranean east this week, as the United States positions warships to prevent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon from turning into a broader war in the Middle East.
While the Wasp has the capability to assist in the evacuation of civilians if a full-scale war breaks out between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group along the Lebanese border, that is not the primary reason it was rotated, a U.S. official said. “It’s about deterrence”the official said.
A second U.S. official said the rotation is similar to the U.S. dispatch of the assault ship USS Bataan to the waters surrounding Israel shortly after the October 7 Hamas attack, and that the ship remained for months in the eastern Mediterranean to help provide options and try to contain the conflict. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operational details.
U.S. officials said last week that the Wasp deployment was likely as the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its air wing left the region. The Wasp carries F-35 fighter jets, which perform short takeoffs and vertical landings, so it can conduct air strike missions from smaller ships.
U.S. European Command, responsible for ships operating in the Mediterranean, announced the move this week, saying the Wasp and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit on board would sail with the landing ship USS Oak Hill, which is used to transport marines, landing craft, vehicles and cargo. The Oak Hill is already in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Wasp also sails with the amphibious transport ship USS New York, which can transport troops via deck helicopters or landing ships.
All of this comes at a time when Hezbollah and Israel have been trading cross-border attacks almost daily since the October 7 incursion that sparked the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and have been gradually escalating.
The High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrelladdressed this Friday with Iran’s acting Foreign Minister, Bagheri Kani, the need for all parties to show moderation on the border between Israel and Lebanon.
Borrell said in a message on social media X that he spoke with Kani “about the dangerous rise in tensions across the Blue Line,” the UN-established border between Israel and Lebanon.
“All actors must exercise maximum restraint and avoid further tensions”indicated the head of community diplomacy.
He added that “once again, we must move away from the risk of a wider regional war.”
In conclusions approved at their summit on Thursday, EU leaders urged to reduce tension between Israel and Lebanon, and showed their concern about the growing destruction and forced displacement of civilians on both sides of the border.
(With information from AP and EFE)
