US assult ships clear Suez, enter Mediterranean

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - Two U.S. amphibious assault ships have reached the Mediterranean as Washington intensifies military pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to end his decades-long rule, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

The two ships, the USS Ponce and the USS Kearsarge, amphibious assault ships that typically carry Marines, cleared the Suez Canal from the Red Sea and entered the Mediterranean, the official said on condition of anonymity. (Reporting by Missy Ryan; Editing by Sandra Maler)