US carrier strike group to return home for first time since Israel-Hamas war

US naval forces have engaged with Houthi militants as part of deterence mission

The Navy’s USS Gerald R Ford Carrier Strike Group will journey from the Mediterranean back to its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, in the coming days, for the first time since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

“The Department of Defense continually evaluates force posture globally and will retain extensive capability both in the Mediterranean and across the Middle East,” the Navy said in a statement.

“DoD will continue to leverage its collective force posture in the region to deter any state or non-state actor from escalating this crisis beyond Gaza,” it added.

The ships of the Marine Expeditionary Unit / Amphibious Ready Group remain in the region with a contingent of 2,000 Marines, according to defence officials.

Another group of warships are stationed in the Persian Gulf in an effort to prevent Hezbollah and Iran from further engaging in the conflict.

The Ford strike group, the Navy’s newest and largest, was nearing the end of its first deployment but was redirected to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in October after Hamas attacked Israel.

At the time, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the deployment was "part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas’ attack on Israel."

Since the outbreak of war, US naval vessels have engaged in clashes with Houthi militants.

On Sunday, a US Navy destroyer sank three boats of militants in the Red Sea, after they were fired upon when returning a distress call from a merchant ship, according to US Central Command.