WASHINGTON — 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 to escalate into a wider war in 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 border with Lebanon, 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 USS Bataan assault ship to waters surrounding Israel shortly after the Oct. 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, which is 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 dock 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 dock ship USS New York, which can transport troops via helicopters on deck or via 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.
Source: With information from AP
