A US aircraft carrier has been instructed by the Pentagon to stay in the Mediterranean, close to Israel

According to US authorities, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and one additional vessel to stay in the Mediterranean Sea for a few more weeks in order to sustain a two-carrier presence close to Israel as the conflict with Hamas intensifies.

The Ford's deployment has been extended three times in a row, highlighting ongoing worries about instability in the area throughout Israel's Gaza War. Two US aircraft carriers are stationed in the area, which is unusual given previous trends.

On October 8, one day after the Hamas incident that started the war, Austin gave the order for the Ford and its strike group to cruise to the eastern Mediterranean.

The decision to maintain the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, the Ford, in the area coincides with Israel's defense minister Yoav Gallant's prediction on Thursday that it will take months to defeat Hamas and that the conflict will be protracted.

The United States has attempted to shift its focus and naval presence to the Asia Pacific region in recent years, while maintaining two aircraft carriers in the Middle East at the height of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.