Washington DC - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered an aircraft carrier group to hasten its arrival in the Middle East, the Pentagon said Sunday, as mounting tensions raise fears of a region-wide war.

The US move is a show of support for Israel after Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group vowed to avenge last month's killings of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.

Austin ordered the aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln, and equipped with F-35 fighters, to "accelerate its transit" to the region, said Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder. He said Austin, who spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Sunday, had also ordered the USS Georgia guided missile submarine to the area.

Ryder said the pair discussed "the importance of mitigating civilian harm, progress towards securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza," and efforts to "deter aggression" by what he dubbed "Iran-aligned groups" in the region.

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The US announced last week that it was deploying the strike group, as well as additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers, and a fighter squadron.

Meanwhile, many Americans around the country, in solidarity with the besieged people of Palestine, continue to demand the Biden administration negotiate a permanent ceasefire and institute an arms embargo against Israel.

Israel has killed at least 39,790 people in Gaza since October, according to the Palestinian territory's health ministry, and instituted a deadly blockade severely restricting access to food, water, fuel, and other basic supplies.