US President Joe Biden confirmed on Sunday that Israel “will make a mistake if it occupies Gaza,” indicating that he is “confident” that Israel “will act according to the laws of war” in its conflict with Hamas.
In an interview with the program “60 minutesOn the American CBS channel, Biden expressed his belief that “Hamas must be completely eliminated,” but there must also be a path toward a Palestinian state.
He added that the deployment of American forces in the Middle East is “unnecessary” because Israel “possesses one of the best fighting forces.”
Regarding Iran, Biden said, “My message to Iran is: Do not cross the border and do not escalate the war.”
He stressed to Biden that Washington could “take care of the war in Israel and Ukraine and at the same time maintain its global defense.”
Biden warned that “the threat of terrorism in the United States has increased due to tension in the Middle East.”
The US aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower is heading to the eastern Mediterranean, joining the Gerald Ford, as part of efforts to “deter hostile actions against Israel,” according to what US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Sunday.
In a statement published by the US Department of Defense (Pentagon), Austin confirmed that sending the aircraft carrier to the region is part of US efforts to deter the expansion of the war, in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel.
The statement explained that the strike group includes the guided-missile cruiser “USS Philippines Sea”, the guided-missile destroyers “USS Gravely” (DDG 107) and the destroyer “USS Mason” (DDG 87), and the air wing. Carrier 3, with nine aircraft squadrons.
The aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower and its group of warships will join the carrier Gerald Ford, which was previously deployed to the region following the Hamas attack a week ago.
The American military buildup indicates the United States’ firm commitment to Israel’s security and “our determination to deter any state or non-state actor that seeks to escalate this war,” according to a Pentagon statement.
The new American step comes a week after the attack launched by the Hamas movement, which is classified as a terrorist organization, against Israel, and at a time when all eyes are on what will happen in the coming days.
Since Israel began its raids, in response to the Hamas attack that killed 1,300 Israelis, most of them civilians, more than 2,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed while nearly 10,000 were injured, according to what Reuters reported from the Gaza Strip authorities. More than 420,000 people left their homes.
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2023-10-16 00:43:45
