US sends 6th Fleet Flagship to eastern Mediterranean in boost to military presence near Israel

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The US Defense Department is deploying the USS Mount Whitney, the command-and-control ship for the U.S. 6th Fleet, to the eastern Mediterranean as an addition to its increasing military presence amid the war between Israel and Hamas, the Washington Times reports.

The Mount Whitney is being deployed from its base in Gaeta, Italy, near the Naples headquarters of the 6th Fleet, which serves in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Responding to the October 7 attack on Israel, the US on October 8 deployed the nuclear-powered USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group which includes the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the largest warship in the world, and the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy plus four Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers to the Eastern Mediterranean as a deterrent to countries that might be tempted to join Hamas in a war against Israel.

In a statement Wednesday, 6th Fleet officials said: “[The Mount Whitney] engages with allies and partners in support of maritime operations, which encompasses naval diplomacy and national efforts to build comprehensive U.S. and allied maritime power.”

The October 7 attack resulted in the slaughter of 1,300 mostly civilian Israeli men, women, and children, and the kidnapping of around 200 Israelis to the Gaza Strip. The attack also included, rape, torture, and the destruction of homes and communities by a group that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin described as “worse than ISIS.”

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