A strike group USAcommanded by the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, will arrive “very soon” in the eastern Mediterranean Seain direct response to the incursion of the Palestinian movement Hamas in Israel, US authorities reported this Monday that they clarified that they will not send troops to the area.
At the same time, Washington confirmed 11 dead compatriots and assumed the existence of several hostages.
“On the arrival of the Ford strike group, the short answer is very early, but I don’t want to talk about details about this call,” an unidentified official explained during a conference call with journalists, according to the AFP and Sputnik news agencies.
The group includes the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, the cruiser Normandy Ticonderoga-class guided missiles and guided missile destroyers Thomas Hudner, Ramage, Carney and Roosevelt, of the United States Navy.
Shortly after, the spokesman for the White House National Security Council, John Kirby Clarified that “There is no intention to put US troops on the ground.”
The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin Yesterday, he had advanced the deployment of this group to reinforce regional deterrence efforts in the face of the escalation of war in the Gaza Strip.
At least 11 Americans dead
Meanwhile, the president Joe Biden revealed that there are “at least 11” American citizens killed in Hamas attacks, and assumed that among the hostages that the Palestinian group took to the Gaza Strip there were also people with United States passports.
Several of those Americans who died had made Israel “their second home”he claimed Biden, who added that there are also missing people.
“This is heartbreaking, these families have been destroyed by unjustifiable hatred and violence; we also know that American citizens are still missing and we are working with Israeli officials to obtain more information about their whereabouts,” he explained.
The president stressed that “the safety of American citizens”in the country and abroad, is its “Maximum priority” and although he clarified that “work is still being done to obtain confirmation” it is very possible that among those kidnapped by Hamas “there are American citizens.”
“I have instructed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on all aspects of the hostage crisis, including the sharing of intelligence information and the deployment of experts.”revealed Biden, according to the ANSA agency.
Biden asked his compatriots in Israel to “take reasonable precautions in the coming days and follow the instructions of local authorities.”
“At this heartbreaking time, the American people stand shoulder to shoulder with the Israelis; we remember the pain of the terrorist attacks on our country, and Americans across the country stand united against these evil acts that have, once again, taken their toll. the lives of innocent Americans,” said the head of the White House.
Washington “will continue to show the world that the American people are unwavering in their determination to oppose terrorism in all its forms,” he promised.
Finally, the president stated that the United States and Israel are “inseparable partners” and highlighted that yesterday he spoke with the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express to him that his country “will continue to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and its people.”
Source: Ambito
