Abraham Lincoln on the Way

The arrival of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three accompanying destroyers in the Middle East is being watched closely as an escalation in an uneasy region. 

U.S. Central Command has said the strike group is deployed “to promote regional security and stability,” but the scale of the deployment underscores the renewed possibility that direct military action against Iran, in response to its violent crackdown on domestic protests, could be authorized at any time. 

The carrier group brings thousands of additional American service members into a region that has not hosted a U.S. aircraft carrier since late 2025, when the USS Gerald R. Ford was redirected to the Caribbean.

President Trump has framed the deployment as a precaution, saying that the ships were sent “just in case,” adding that the United States has “a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it.” 

Trump previously warned that the United States would consider military action if Iran carried out mass executions or continued killing peaceful demonstrators during protests that began in late December. 

Activist groups report at least 5,973 protesters killed and more than 41,800 detained. Trump has continued to signal that harsh action remains on the table.

For Israel, the military dimension of the U.S. buildup is impossible to ignore. The Abraham Lincoln carries multiple squadrons of aircraft, including F-35 Lightning II and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, while its accompanying destroyers are armed with hundreds of missiles, potentially including Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles. 

The U.S. Air Force has also increased its presence in the region with F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, and dozens of U.S. military cargo aircraft have been monitored moving toward the Middle East. 

Israeli analysts warn that any U.S. strike on Iran would almost certainly trigger retaliation across the region. 

The Nameless One says of Iran’s aggression, and his faith in Israel, “Israel and many Gulf countries will be attacked, and the only one that without a doubt hit back is Israel. 

“I’ll be happy to see an Emirati or Saudi Air Force attack in Iran, but I won’t hold my breath.” 

When escalation comes, Israel is often left to respond alone, even as others urge restraint from the sidelines.

The human cost inside Iran is also shaping Israeli discourse. 

The Nameless One asserts that, “The numbers of casualties in Iran – protesters who were murdered by the regime – is very likely in the many tens of thousands.” 

He notes that while the highest public estimate so far has been around 20,000, new indications suggest the toll could be significantly higher as more data emerges. 

“Bottom line is – the Islamic Republic massacred its civilians,” he says, arguing that such mass violence has drawn little sustained protest in Western capitals.

All of this unfolds against a backdrop of prolonged global and regional conflict. 

Nearly four years into the war in Ukraine and more than two and a half years into Israel’s own multifront conflict, 2026 is increasingly seen as a turning point. 

The Nameless One argues that Israel’s strategic environment is shifting away from a primary focus on Iran and its Shiite proxies toward a new alignment led by Turkey and its Sunni allies. 

In light of this, Syria has effectively become a full-scale Islamic State-like entity, Hamas remains entrenched with Qatari backing, and other regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, are drifting toward Ankara’s orbit.

“The Shiite axis is simply being replaced with a new Sunni axis,” the Nameless One says. 

He says hopes of a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, though always slim, are now even more remote. “The dreams of having a peace agreement with the Saudis … are at the moment nothing more than dreams.” 

For Israel, the current standoff involving Iran, the United States, and regional actors is not just another crisis, but part of a deeper realignment that may define its security challenges for years to come.

However, there is some resolution in Israel - The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that the remains of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili—the last remaining hostage from the Gaza Strip—have been recovered and returned to Israel for Jewish burial; Gvili was abducted and murdered on October 7, 2023, while bravely defending Alumim.

Senator Jesse Green wrote on facebook, “Ran was the first to go out and defend on October 7, and the last to return.”