After the US backing of Israel in the Middle Eastern conflict, the Pentagon has ordered its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to remain in the region with a second vessel en route. This decision comes in the wake of the Middle Eastern tension all-time high, following Iran’s ballistic attack on Israel.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the USS Abraham Lincoln would stay in the Middle East and the USS Harry S.Truman aircraft carrier is rushing to the region, as reported by the New York Post.
The Lincoln is a part of America’s extensive military presence in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, which played a key role in assisting Israel after Iran’s recent attack.
The Lincoln is one of the largest warships in the world. It is also America’s fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, with F-35 fighter jets on board, according to the US Navy.
The warship was first deployed to the Middle East to call back the USS Theodore Roosevelt as the tension between Israel and Iran’s terror proxies rose.
The aircraft carrier currently patrols the Arabian Sea, near the Gulf of Aden, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been targeting military and merchant ships allegedly tied to Israel.
Another Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman patrols the region with Lincoln. The vessel was previously in the Middle East during the early years of America’s war in Iraq.
During the war in Afghanistan, the vessel oversaw 2,900 combat missions during Operation Enduring Freedom.
It was originally set to relieve Lincoln but was ordered to remain in the region with Lincoln to maintain a dual-carrier presence..
The Wasp Amphibious Ready Group has been stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean since June, led by the USS Wasp amphibious assault ship.
It was joined by the USS New York and USS Oak Hill, which were prepared for a potential mass evacuation from Lebanon.
US officials have urged the citizens in Lebanon to flee the country as the possibility of war between Israel and Hezbollah becomes inevitable.
Additionally, the US has several guided missile destroyers in the region. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Spruance and USS Stockdale, along with the Portland-class USS Indianapolis, recently came under attack by Houthi rebels.
These vessels, along with the USS Cole and USS Bulkeley in the Mediterranean, have played a significant role in intercepting Iranian strikes on Israel.
Earlier this month USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine, arrived in the Middle East to support Israel in the event of an attack from Iran or Hezbollah.
The submarine is armed with cruise missiles capable of intercepting potential strikes from Iran and its terror proxies.