US Navy strike group heading toward Middle East “without delay”: Official

The Nimitz was already intended to replace the other strike group in the Middle East, the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group. The US official said the Nimitz is moving into the region “within the time window they were supposed to be” relieving the Vinson, but will now cancel a previously scheduled port call to expedite its arrival.

Just days ago, the Nimitz was conducting routine flight operations in the South China Sea, according to a Navy release.

The Vinson is roughly seven months into its deployment. It’s unclear how long the two strike groups will overlap in the Middle East before the Vinson returns home.

The US official added that some naval assets capable of defending against ballistic missiles already in the Middle East are expected to move into the eastern Mediterranean “in the coming days.”

Two US Navy ships intercepted missiles in defense of Israel at least twice over the weekend, the official said.

The Israeli regime attacked a number of residential neighborhoods of Tehran as well as military and nuclear sites in other parts of Iran in the early hours of Friday.

Several top military commanders, nuclear scientists, and dozens of civilians have been killed in the strikes.

The Iranian Armed Forces have launched several rounds of retaliatory missile attacks against the Israeli targets during the past four days.