According to multiple sources, the United States has deployed two aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean since the attacks on Israel. The first carrier strike group, led by the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived off the coast of Israel last week, and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group, which deployed from Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday, is headed to the eastern Mediterranean. The Eisenhower is the flagship of the carrier strike group, which will be joined by a guided-missile cruiser and two guided-missile destroyers. The US warships are not intended to join the fighting in Gaza or take part in Israel’s operations, but the presence of two of the Navy’s most powerful vessels is designed to send a message of deterrence to Iran and Iranian proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.