All US military assets in the Middle East as tensions between Israel and Iran flare

The United States has ordered its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to remain in the Middle East and a second ship is on the way, as tensions in the Middle East are at a fever pitch following Iran’s attack on Israel, officials said .

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the USS Abraham Lincoln would remain in the Middle East as the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman headed to the region, according to the Pentagon.

The ship will join the already significant US military arsenal in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, which helped defend Israel against Tehran’s latest attack on the Jewish state.

USS Abraham Lincoln

The Lincoln was rushed to the Middle East in August to relieve the USS Theodore Roosevelt, amid growing tensions between Israel and Iran’s terrorist proxies.

The Lincoln is the fifth American Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, among the largest warships in the world, with F-35 fighter jets on board, according to the US Navy.

The aircraft carrier is currently patrolling the Arabian Sea, just east of the Gulf of Aden, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels are attacking military and merchant ships allegedly linked to Israel.

USS Harry S. Truman

The Truman, another Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, was initially planned to replace the Lincoln before Austin ordered two warships into the region.

The ship was previously in the Middle East during the early years of the US war in Iraq and later oversaw 2,900 combat missions during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

USS Georgia

The guided-missile submarine USS Georgia arrived in the Middle East earlier this month, specifically to help Israel in the event of an attack by Iran or Hezbollah.

The nuclear-powered submarine is armed with cruise missiles capable of intercepting incoming attacks from Iran and its terrorist proxies.

The Wasp amphibious group

The Wasp Amphibious Ready Group has been stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean since June, with a fleet led by the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.

The Wasp is joined by the amphibious transport dock USS New York and the landing ship USS Oak Hill, which are in the area in the event of a mass evacuation operation from Lebanon, USNI News reported.

US officials have already called on Lebanese citizens to flee the country, fearing that a war between Israel and Hezbollah is inevitable.

American guided missile destroyers

In addition to aircraft carriers and evacuation ships, the United States has large guided-missile destroyers in the Middle East, three of which were attacked by Houthi rebels last Friday.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Spruance and USS Stockdale, as well as the Portland-class USS Indianapolis, are operating in the Mediterranean and Red Seas to suppress Houthi attacks.

Also in the Mediterranean are the USS Cole and the USS Bulkeley, which helped intercept Iranian attacks on Israel.