The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln will stay in the Middle East in response to escalating violence, the Pentagon announced Sunday.
In a statement the department said the Lincoln and its carrier strike group, currently operating in the Persian Gulf, will remain in the area. The East Coast-based USS Wasp and its amphibious ready group will remain in the eastern Mediterranean, the statement said.
The announcement followed escalating Israeli attacks into Lebanon that killed a key Hezbollah leader and a senior Iranian general.
On Tuesday, Iran responded by launching about 200 missiles into Israel, the Defense department said. The Pentagon has bolstered the show of force at sea with other air assets, the department said.
"This afloat posture is complemented by DOD’s elevated fighter and attack squadron presence, including F-22, F-15E, F-16, and A-10 aircraft, and we will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities in the coming days."
Last week the Norfolk, Va.-based aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman left its home port for a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea.
Until September the Navy had maintained at least two carriers in the region since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. The San Diego-based USS Theodore Roosevelt's deployment was extended in August to maintain that two-carrier presence.
The Roosevelt left the region last month and is now in the eastern Pacific returning to San Diego. It began its deployment in January.
The Lincoln left San Diego in July.
