The US military is accelerating the deployment of around 8,000 service members to the Middle East to reinforce operations against Iran, Newsmax reported, citing four anonymous officials.

The USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are deploying ahead of schedule from the West Coast, the officials said, with sailors and Marines cutting short their leave period to speed up their arrival.

The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, comprising the USS Boxer, the USS Portland and the USS Comstock, carries around 2,500 Marines. The deployment, which includes the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, brings the total number of personnel, including sailors and Marines, to approximately 4,000 service members aboard the three vessels.

Once the Boxer group joins the USS Tripoli group, which is already en route to the region, the six amphibious ships will have added roughly 8,000 service members in total.

The Pentagon referred Anadolu's request for comment to US Central Command (CENTCOM), which did not immediately respond.

The report came as a regional escalation has continued to flare since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.