UPDATE - US aircraft carrier Eisenhower crosses Strait of Hormuz, enters Gulf waters

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Anadolu staff

WASHINGTON (AA) - The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Sunday that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier navigated through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf.

“On Nov. 26, the Carrier Strike Group Eisenhower (IKECSG) completed a transit of the Strait of Hormuz to enter the waters of the Arabian Gulf as the Strike Group continues to support USCENTCOM missions,” CENTCOM said on X.

The IKECSG will patrol the strategic waterway, located on the southeastern Arabian Peninsula, to ensure freedom of navigation, it added.

In a related development, CENTCOM said a US warship received a destress call from a commercial tanker in the Gulf of Aden to the peninsula's south, but that the tanker is now safe.

“On Nov. 26, the USS MASON (DDG 87), with allied ships from our coalition counter-piracy task force (TF 151) and associated aircraft responded to a distress call from the M/V CENTRAL PARK, a commercial vessel, that they were under attack by an unknown entity,” CENTCOM said.

“Upon arrival, coalition elements demanded release of the vessel. Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat. The MASON pursued the attackers, resulting in their eventual surrender.”

CENTCOM assured the safety of the tanker’s crew.

"Nov. 27 Sanaa time, two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen toward the general location of the USS MASON (DDG 87) and M/V CENTRAL PARK," CENTCOM said. "The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately ten nautical miles from the ships."

No damage was reported.

Following the Palestinian group Hamas's surprise attack on Oct. 7 which marked the beginning of a new phase of confrontation between Palestinian factions in Gaza and Israel, Washington announced the strengthening of the capabilities of its Fifth Fleet in the region, whose missions extend from the Red Sea to the Gulf.