US dispatches second aircraft carrier toward Middle East as Israel-Iran strikes escalate

WASHINGTON — A US aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Nimitz left the South China Sea and headed toward the Middle East as the US military has moved to defend Israel from retaliatory waves of Iranian ballistic missile attacks, defense officials confirmed Monday.

The Pentagon does not typically telegraph the intended deployments of its carrier strike groups in advance. But the move comes as Israel and Iran trade long-range strikes for the fourth day in a row. Dozens have been…