USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier heads back to US after being deployed following Hamas attack

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group is coming back to its home in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. military officials said, after it was deployed following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group will remain in the Middle East alongside additional cruisers and destroyers in the region, the U.S. Navy said Monday. 

The Defense Department also said it is working with allies "to bolster maritime security in the region" and "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."

The decision to relocate the aircraft carrier comes as Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been targeting ships in the Red Sea, a vital shipping route. The attacks particularly increased after Oct. 7, when Hamas invaded Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 240 others hostage. 

There are additional concerns that Israel may be forced to fight a war on its northern border against Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists. 

"We are in a multi-front war," Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said last week as the country faces threats from multiple sides. "We are being attacked from seven fronts — Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), Iraq, Yemen and Iran."

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