The Pentagon announced on Sunday that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln to "accelerate its arrival" to the Middle East.
This comes at a time when military escalation threatens the entire region against the backdrop of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said that Austin ordered the fleet led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, which includes F-35C fighter jets, to move faster, in the face of the risk of a large-scale attack by Hezbollah or Iran against Israel, according to France Presse.
Ryder added that Austin held a conversation with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Galant on Sunday, and also ordered the deployment of the missile submarine USS Georgia to the same region.
He explained that the two men discussed "the importance of limiting harm to civilians, making progress toward reaching a ceasefire and releasing hostages held in Gaza," in addition to deterring Iranian-backed groups from launching attacks.
Tensions have been rising recently after the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Last week, Washington announced it would bolster its military presence in the Middle East by deploying more warships and fighter jets.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is set to join another US aircraft carrier in the region, the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
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