The assault ship USS Wasp entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea yesterday. Officials continue to claim that its primary mission is “deterrence” without explaining how it’s to deter an Israeli-Hezbollah war. A U.S. official told the Associated Press that concerns about a major escalation are now lower than they were last week but remain higher than they were last month. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to relate internal Biden administration thinking, said the assessment had less to do with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s meetings in Washington this week and more to do with a reduction in attacks from both Hezbollah and Israel in recent days.
The USS Wasp is part of a three-ship amphibious ready group carrying 2,200 Marines, with helicopters, V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and AV-8B Harrier jump jets, which also includes the USS Oak Hill, already in the region, and the USS New York, which will soon join the other two ships.
