The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and accompanying destroyers have arrived in the Middle East, the US military announced on Wednesday, according to a report by the AFP news agency.
"USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), equipped with F-35C and F/A-18 Block III fighters, entered the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility," the military command responsible for the Middle East said.
"The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, is accompanied by Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9," it added.
The Pentagon announced earlier this month that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group as well as the USS Georgia (SSGN 729) guided missile submarine to the Central Command region.
The Pentagon had previously announced that the US Defense Department will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region as part of steps it is taking “to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or Iran's partners and proxies”.
The moves come amid tensions in the Middle East over a possible retaliation by Iran and Hezbollah for the eliminations of Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
Israel claimed responsibility for the elimination of Shukr but has not commented on the elimination of Haniyeh.
Late last week, US, Iranian and Israeli officials told The New York Times that Iran is expected to delay planned reprisals against Israel to allow mediators time to make a high-stakes push for a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza.
Israeli intelligence has assessed that both Iran and Hezbollah have lowered the level of alertness in their rocket and missile units, five Israeli officials told the newspaper.
Previously, three senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran could delay or cancel its planned attack against Israel if this week's ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas are successful.
On Monday, however, the Deputy Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Ali Fadavi, stated that his country will punish Israel “in due time and place”.
“The fake and child-killing Zionist regime continued its stupidity and martyred Haniyeh on Iranian soil, and we will give an appropriate response in due time and place”, Fadavi said.