In the flames of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, U.S. aircraft carriers were once seen as invincible, but a high-profile contest revealed the rupture of this traditional concept. The contest starred Allah in Lebanon, which displayed powerful anti-ship missiles, forcing the US aircraft carrier to wait and see from afar, not daring to get close to the coastline.
On October 7, when the conflict was on the verge of breaking out, the United States quickly sent two aircraft carriers to support, but no substantial progress has been made so far. On the contrary, these aircraft carriers did not dare to approach Lebanese Allah territory easily, as if trapped in a fog of war.
The United States originally planned to flex its muscles in the Middle East with a two-carrier fleet, but it did not expect that this arrogance would pay a huge price. They have to be cautious for fear of getting into trouble if they are not careful. In early November, the Lebanese Allah Party passed a large number of anti-ship missiles in its possession, among which the Noor missiles shocked the United States. This missile is Iranian-made, and although it is not top-notch, it is enough to threaten ** and make the United States helpless.
This is not only a missile threat, but also a powerful blow to the theory of the invincibility of US aircraft carriers. Lebanese Allah claimed Russian Ruby and Zircon missiles, and rumors of these missiles quickly spread across the international scene. The Zircon missile showed its terrible performance on the battlefield in Ukraine, making it almost impossible to intercept by any air defense system, putting the American aircraft carrier in a dire situation.
U.S. aircraft carriers were originally intended to exist as attack platforms, but in this Palestinian-Israeli conflict, they appear extremely embarrassing. Despite the dispatch of aircraft carriers, the United States did not dare to use them in a ground war, making its status on the ground very awkward. Whether to help or to do nothing, American aircraft carriers become a burden to Israel.
The United States, despite prematurely sending a two-carrier fleet, has so far not achieved great results. In this area, American aircraft carriers do not dare to approach the Iranian coastline, let alone Lebanese waters. They wander around the neighborhood for fear that they will become someone else's target if they are not careful.
This Palestinian-Israeli conflict has shown people that US aircraft carriers are not invincible. Although the aircraft carrier is a powerful **, it is somewhat powerless in the face of an opponent like Lebanese Allah. In particular, most of the existing US aircraft carriers are old, and they are facing tremendous economic pressure if they want to replace them.
Middle Eastern countries and Russia seized this opportunity to take advantage of the chaos to show their strength, leaving the United States in a dilemma. In the flames of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the US aircraft carrier was unable to display its invincible name, and the situation in the Middle East became more confusing. This time, the United States has to face a truly ruthless role on the international stage, and this is a huge blow to the American aircraft carrier, which has always boasted of being invincible.
In general, American aircraft carriers, although they were once the hegemon at sea, in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, they are clearly no longer a symbol of invincibility. The threat of missiles has deterred US aircraft carriers and shown the world that the so-called invincibility is not monolithic. All this makes people think about who will be able to dominate the commanding heights on the sea in the future war.