A look at what assistance US is giving to Israel in its war with Palestine

When Israel began bombarding besieged Gaza, the US also started moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with military equipment.

A second US carrier strike group departed from Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday. Scores of aircraft are heading to US military bases around the Middle East.

Special operations forces are now assisting Israel's military in planning and intelligence. The first shipment of additional munitions has already arrived.

More is expected, soon.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has already with Israeli leaders to discuss what else the US can provide.

For now, the buildup reflects US anticipation that the deadly fighting between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel could escalate into a more dangerous regional conflict.

Here is a look at what weapons and options the US military could provide:

Weapons and special operations forces

Defence Secretary Austin announced that a small special operations cell was now assisting Israel with intelligence and planning, and providing advice and consultations to the Israeli Defence Forces on prisoner recovery efforts.

Those forces, however, have not been tasked with prisoner rescue, which would put them on the ground fighting in the conflict.

That's something the Biden administration has not approved, and White House spokesman John Kirby has said the Israelis do not want.

The US is also getting US defence companies to expedite weapons orders by Israel that were already on the books.

Chief among those are munitions for Israel's Iron Dome air defence system.

"We're surging additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome," President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.

Iron Dome's missiles target rockets that approach its cities. According to Raytheon, Israel has 10 such systems in place.

Raytheon produces most of the missile components for Iron Dome in the US, and the Army has two systems in its stockpile.

The Iron Dome munitions the US provides to Israel will likely be above and beyond what Israel has ordered and will be part of ongoing military assistance packages.

Those packages will also include small-diameter bombs and JDAM kits — essentially a tail fin and navigation kit that turns a "dumb" bomb into a "smart" bomb and enables troops to guide the munition to a target, rather than simply dropping it.

Navy ships and planes

One of the most visible examples of the US response was the announcement just hours after the Hamas raid on Israel that the Pentagon would redirect the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to sail toward Israel.

One week later, as Israel positioned for a major ground invasion into besieged Gaza, Austin announced a second carrier group would be sailing toward Israel, as he ordered the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group to join the Ford in the Eastern Mediterranean.

In a statement announcing the move, Austin said he was sending the Eisenhower too "as part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel."

The carriers provide a host of options.

They serve as primary command and control operations centres and can conduct information warfare.

They can launch and recover E2-Hawkeye surveillance planes, recognisable by their 7-metre diameter disc-shaped radars.

The planes provide early warnings on missile launches, conduct surveillance and manage the airspace, not only detecting enemy aircraft but also directing US movements.

They also serve as a floating airbase for F-18 fighter jets that can fly intercepts or strike targets.

And the carriers can flex to provide significant capabilities for humanitarian work, including onboard hospitals with ICUs, emergency rooms, medics, surgeons and doctors.

They also sail with helicopters that can be used to airlift critical supplies in or victims out.

The Eisenhower had already been scheduled to deploy to the Mediterranean on a regular rotation, and the Ford was near the end of its scheduled deployment.

Air force warplanes

The Pentagon has also ordered additional warplanes to bolster A-10, F-15 and F-16 squadrons at bases throughout the Middle East.

More are to be added if needed.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said on Tuesday at an Atlantic Council event that the service was directing units that were about to come home to remain in place along with their replacements.

The US Air Force already has significant airpower in the region to conduct manned and unmanned operations.

Kendall also said Air Force C-17s have landed in and departed from Israel since the attacks.

The transport planes were picking up US military personnel who were there for a military exercise that hadn't started yet when the attacks began, the Air Force said in a statement.