CENTCOM announced the arrival of “the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group… in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in order to deter any actor seeking to escalate the situation or widen” in Israel and Gaza. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council underscored that one reason for the deployment was “to send a clear, unequivocal message to any actor or nation-state that thinks that this is a chance to try to take advantage of the position that Israel finds itself in”, adding: ”[We] have been in close contact with our Israeli partners and are working with our regional partners to warn anyone who might seek to take advantage in this situation against taking hostile action”.