The US has deployed the world’s largest warship to the Mediterranean after Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel, sparking the biggest war in the region for decades.

Hamas has responded to the show of strength by threatening consequences for the US, and adding that it is not scared by the vessel.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean on day two of Israel’s war with Hamas.

He also shared that the US will provide munitions to Israel – and supplies will start moving over today.

The Pentagon will be sending fighter jets to the region.

Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call on Sunday that additional military assistance is “now on its way to Israel with more to follow over the coming days”.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, and its approximately 5,000 sailors and deck of warplanes will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers.

The large deployment, which also includes a host of ships and warplanes, underscores the concern the United States has in trying to deter the conflict from growing.

But the Israeli government formally declared war on Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas.

Preliminary reports indicate at least four American citizens have been killed as a result of the attack on Israel – with an additional seven missing, a US official told Associated Press.

The numbers were in flux and could change as a fuller accounting is compiled, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss initial reports received by the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

Most, if not all, of those reported dead or missing are dual US-Israeli citizens, the official said.

Along with the Ford the US is sending the cruiser USS Normandy, destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt and the US is augmenting Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.

In their second phone call today, Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed “the taking of hostages by Hamas terrorists, including entire families, the elderly, and young children”, according to a White House statement describing their conversation.

Biden stressed that all countries “must stand united in the face of such brutal atrocities”.

The President updated Netanyahu on US diplomatic efforts and said additional assistance for Israeli forces was on the way, with more to come in the days ahead, the White House said.

They also discussed ways “to ensure that no enemies of Israel believe they can or should seek advantage from the current situation”.

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