U.S. Central Command announced in a posting on X today that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln “is currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability,” suggesting and its escorts are now within striking range of Iran.
The news about the Lincoln comes as other signs that U.S. military strikes on Iran may be coming, perhaps as soon as this week.
Israel’s civil aviation chief, Shmuel Zakai, has warned foreign commercial airlines that the region may be entering a “more sensitive period” by the end of the week, according to a letter obtained by Channel 12, reported The Times of Israel.
In the message, Zakai said in a message that the security situation remains “dynamic,” and stresses that Israel could again move to close its airspace if necessary—as it did in the Iranian conflicts of April and October 2024 and in June 2025—while authorities continue to monitor and adjust based on developments. Channel 12 reported that Zakai issued a clarification to airlines after the letter was published, claiming he was referring to last weekend, though the letter itself included explicit references to the upcoming weekend.
