US shifts assault ship to the Mediterranean to deter an escalation of the Israel-Lebanon conflict

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp has entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea as the U.S. positions warships to try to keep fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon from escalating into a wider war in the Middle East. A U.S. official says that while the ship has the capability to help evacuate civilians if full-scale war breaks out between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group along the Lebanon border, that’s not the primary reason it was rotated in. The official says it’s about deterrence. A second official said it’s similar to how the U.S. sent an assault ship to the waters near Israel shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack to provide options and try to contain the conflict.