US Combat Fleet USS Abraham Lincoln Arrives In The Middle East

United States Military/PHOTO via Instagram @usnavy

JAKARTA - The USS Abraham Lincoln combat fleet arrived in the Middle East following the latest order by Defense Minister Lloyd Austin.

The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), a fleet equipped with F-35C and F/A-18 Block III fighters, entered the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) responsibility area, " CENTCOM said on X as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, August 22.

The aircraft carrier was accompanied by the Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, the statement added.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced the US would deploy additional military assets in the Central Timor in anticipation of a retaliatory attack by Iran against Israel.

Austin then ordered Carrier Strike Group USS Abraham Lincoln, equipped with an F-35C fighter, to accelerate transit to the Central Command's responsibilities to increase the capabilities provided by the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.

In addition, Austin also ordered the USS Georgia (SSGN 729) guided-missile submarine to the Central Command area.

The move comes as tensions escalate in the Central Team following the assassination of Palestinian resistance group Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in Iran's capital Tehran and the assassination of senior commander Hezbollah Fuad Shukr in Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30.

Neither Hamas nor Iran have accused Israel of killing Haniyeh, but the Israeli government has confirmed nor denied responsibility.

Iran then vowed to give Israel a "heavy punishment" for Haniyeh's murder in Iranian territory.

The increasing tension in the Central Timor comes amid an ongoing Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 40,170 Palestinians, following an attack on October 7 last year by Hamas that killed 1,139 Israelis.