A U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier reportedly entered the international waters of the East Sea on Monday.

The U.S. Naval Institute confirmed on Monday that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is in the East Sea in an apparent response to escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The institute said after a yearslong pause, North Korea has restarted missile tests, and intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) and nuclear tests are anticipated in the near term, quoting the Yonhap News Agency.

The aircraft carrier's entry into the East Sea marks the first in four years and five months since November 2017.

The entry is apparently seen as a show of force intended to send a strong warning to North Korea amid speculation that the North may conduct a nuclear test ahead of the 110th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il-sung on April 15.

The Abraham Lincoln strike group will reportedly stay in the international waters of the East Sea for about five days, during which South Korea and the U.S. may hold a joint naval exercise.