US guided missile submarine arrives in Middle East

The U.S. has deployed a nuclear-powered submarine to the Middle East as unrest grows in the region amid the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The U.S. Central Command posted a photo on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, of the Ohio-class submarine arriving in its area of responsibility Sunday but did not share any other details of the deployment, including its exact location.

It’s also not clear what type of submarine was deployed. The U.S. fleet has 14 Ohio-class submarines that can launch ballistic missiles and four additional ones that carry Tomahawk cruise missiles.

In either case, the nuclear-powered submarine adds to a growing U.S. presence in the Middle East region as Washington fears Iranian-backed groups will seek to take advantage of the conflict and spark further turmoil.

The U.S. has deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean, along with warplanes and hundreds of troops, to deter any would-be aggressors.

The American assets were dismissed last week by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, whose forces control swaths of territory across Lebanon, which borders Israel. He said the U.S. forces would not deter him.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group has traded near-constant fire with Israel since the Hamas war broke out Oct. 7, and Nasrallah warned last week “all options” were on the table.

The U.S. has also been attacked at least 27 times in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed groups, though no American troops have died, the U.S. has said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Iraq over the weekend and warned any groups from escalating the tensions.

“The attacks, the threats coming from the militia that are aligned with Iran, are totally unacceptable and we will take every necessary step to protect our people,” he said at a press availability. “We’re not looking for conflict with Iran — we’ve made that very clear — but we’ll do what’s necessary to protect our personnel.”