Shafaq News/ The US military announced that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying destroyers have arrived in the Middle East, increasing the number of US carriers in the region.

The deployment comes as regional tensions escalate following the Israeli assassinations of Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, with Iran and Hezbollah threatening retaliation.

The USS Abraham Lincoln is replacing the USS Theodore Roosevelt, as US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered on August 11 the aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln, and equipped with F-35 fighters, to "accelerate its transit" to the region.

On Wednesday, the military command responsible for the Middle East said on social media, “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 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.