Pentagon orders USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier to remain in Mediterranean Sea near Israel

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and another warship to remain in the Mediterranean Sea for several additional weeks, ensuring a two-carrier presence near Israel during its ongoing conflict with Hamas, according to US officials.This marks the third extension of Ford's deployment, highlighting ongoing concerns about the region's volatility during the conflict in Gaza.Multiple US officials confirmed the longer deployments approved this week for the Ford and the USS Normandy cruiser on condition of anonymity because they have not yet been made public. Other ships in the Ford's strike group had already had their deployments extended.The Pentagon ramped up its military presence in the region after Hamas' October 7 attacks to deter Iran from widening the war into a regional conflict. In the months since, Iranian-backed militants in Iraq and Syria have seized on the war to conduct regular attacks with rockets, drones and missiles on US military installations there.With inputs from AP.