Naval forces gather in East Med
Ships concentrate in the region to provide air defense and protection to Israel
Many signs point to the clear urgency of the Middle East situation, one of which is the concentration of strong naval forces – along with Israeli forces – deployed all the way along the nation’s coastline to guard the country’s airspace and deter potential maritime threats.
The USS Wasp, an amphibious operations ship that is also referred to as a “mini aircraft carrier” because it transports AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters along with vertical takeoff and landing MV-22B Osprey helicopters and AV-8B Harrier fighters, has been docked in Limassol in Cyprus for the past few days. Moreover, two US Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are already off the coast of Israel.
With such impressive capabilities, the USS Wasp also carries the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The presence of the USS Wasp essentially indicates preparation for the possible need to conduct civilian evacuation operations from Lebanon and the surrounding region.
The support ships RFA Mounts Bay and RFA Cardigan Bay, both of the British Royal Navy, are docked in Cyprus for the same reason. Depending on the task, these amphibious operations ships can carry supplies, trucks, tanks, or helicopters. In an emergency, each ship can accommodate up to 700 people.
Following the rise in tensions over the last 24 hours, Washington announced that it will deploy the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and its escort group, usually consisting of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and submarines, to the Eastern Mediterranean.
The existence of submarines in the Eastern Mediterranean is taken for granted, but it has not been reported in recent days. At the same time, another US aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, is in the Gulf of Oman with an escort team, presumably to monitor everything going on in the Persian Gulf, particularly off the coast of Iran. Iran’s largest naval facility, Bandar Abbas, is located nearby.
Six combat units from as many countries are cruising off the coast of Lebanon as part of the United Nations permanent naval operation (UNIFIL), allowing the situation to be observed from a distance.
The naval buildup has given rise to a barrage of rumors about the involvement of Cyprus in military operations in the Middle East. Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis dismissed “hybrid acts of disinformation and spreading false news.” “Cyprus is not involved in military operations or any conflict. Humanitarian aid and facilitating evacuations is what we are doing. Those who oppose these actions are against international humanitarian law,” he stressed.
