With reports of the USS Roosevelt being sent to the Eastern Mediterranean, many pundits are assuming it is being tasked with defending Israel if an expanded war breaks out between Israel and Hezbollah. However, the USS Gerald Ford is leaving the area the Roosevelt is seemingly replacing it in rotation.
Observers have insisted that the switch in rotation means that the war with Hezbollah is about to begin. The start of the war and the arrival of the USS Roosevelt are connected but not in relation to defending Israel, but rather defending EU member Cyprus from attack.
From the moment Nasrallah threatened Cyprus for aiding Israel, the coming Northern war switched from an Iranian proxy war with Israel to potentially something regional that has the potential to ignite WW3. Cyprus is a key Israeli ally in the Eastern Mediterranean. Its proximity to Israel’s coast makes it critical for air traffic leaving Israel as well security over Israel’s gas fields. Israel provides protection to Cyprus by deterring Turkey from occupying the rest of the Island.
If Hezbollah attacks Cyprus it will draw in EU member states, like Greece. The EU has forewarned this possibility with the announcement: “Cyprus is a Member State of the EU – this means the EU is Cyprus and Cyprus is the EU. Any threat [from Hezbollah] against one of our member states is a threat against the EU.”
If Israel invades Lebanon, expect Turkey to jump in - not only against Israel, but as support for Hezbollah’s action against Cyprus. Turkey already occupies the Northern Half of Cyprus, they would not hesitate to take the rest. If this happens, Greece will inevitably jump in triggering a cascading effect that will bring in far larger players.
The USA is fast tracking the USS Roosevelt to the Eastern Mediterranean, not for Israel’s sake, but as a last ditch hope to stop what should be a containable conflict from turning into the next big global conflict.