All right, Alexander, let's do an update on what is happening in the Middle East.

So we got the news over the New Year's weekend that the USS Ford is going to be returning back to Norfolk, Virginia.

It's going to be leaving the Middle East and going back home.

And this was, according to the officials that told ABC News about this story, this update on the USS Ford, that this is part of the schedule.

This was scheduled.

It needs to go back to Virginia.

And, you know, that's that.

There's nothing more to this story other than this was a scheduled return back to the United States for this carrier.

And then we also have the news from the Israeli defense forces that they're

going to be having a type of shift in their military operations. And I believe that this is part of what Blinken told the Netanyahu administration when he was in Jerusalem a couple of weeks ago to shift from a high intensity to a low intensity type of operation.

It seems like Israel is the Israeli defense forces forces according to their spokesmen this is this is

indeed what they're what they're now doing though they did say that this war is going to last throughout

uh two thousand and twenty four so what do you make of uh of this news this uh update in the mediterranean and update with regards to the conflict in Gaza?

Well, I think the first thing to say is that if they're pulling back one of the two carriers,

the Gerald Ford, and if the Israelis are withdrawing what appears to be the biggest,

the most heavily equipped part of their military from Gaza, then actually,

despite all the language, it looks like some kind of de-escalation is underway. I mean,

I accept that the general Ford probably does need to return home at some point to re-equip.

I also understand that it is on demand.

It's U.S.'s newest carrier. Apparently, there's been recruitment problems in the U.S. military.

Probably you can slip there. U.S. military, but the fact is that it does appear that it is somewhat undermanned,

and this has been causing some problems in operating this carrier. Having said that,

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