At least three US Navy ships, including amphibious landing vessels, departed the Naval Base San Diego, according to local media reports on Thursday.
The USS Boxer was seen leaving port on Wednesday by webcam accounts monitoring the location.
A local Fox News affiliate cited a statement from the US Navy Third Fleet, which is stationed at NBSD, saying that the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit is conducting "routine operations" in the Pacific Ocean as part of the US Navy's Pacific fleet.
However, the military is accelerating the deployment of Marine personnel and equipment to the Middle East, including the deployment of the USS Boxer, USS Portland, and USS Comstock, a US official told The Jerusalem Post on Friday morning.
Four officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said similar things to Newsmax.
Aircraft carrier and two landing vessels on operation
The USS Boxer functions as a small aircraft carrier, while the USS Portland and USS Comstock are amphibious landing vessels. Together, these three vessels carry approximately 2,500 Marines and a total of about 4,000 service personnel.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.