US Aircraft Carrier deploys to Middle East amid rising Israel-Hezbollah tensions

Shafaq News/ The US Navy announced on Tuesday that the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) has set sail for the Middle East, leading a strike group of warships amid escalating tensions in the region.

According to a statement from the US Navy, the Harry S. Truman, a Nimitz-class carrier, departed from Norfolk Naval Station on September 23rd as part of a planned deployment.

The carrier will be joined by two destroyers and a missile cruiser for scheduled operations under US Naval Forces Europe-Africa and the Sixth Fleet.

“This deployment comes on the heels of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group’s nine-month mission that highlighted the need for continuity in our sustained presence amid escalating international tensions,” Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, US Fleet Forces Command, said in a statement.

An Italian Navy frigate is expected to join the US strike group during part of its mission, conducting joint operations and exercises.

The deployment of the Harry S. Truman Strike Group follows the recent departure of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group from the Middle East. Meanwhile, the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, another West Coast-based unit, is currently operating in the North Arabian Sea, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.

Both the Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln Strike Groups have been stationed in key areas such as the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea during their time under US Central Command.

At present, the USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) and the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) are deployed in the Red Sea.

The deployment comes amid escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, further intensifying the regional security landscape.

Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder recently disclosed that the US currently has around 40,000 troops stationed in the Middle East.