After USS Georgia, US Sends Missile Submarine to Middle East

US USS Georgia (SSGN 729). (Wikimedia Commons/US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James Kimber)

JAKARTA - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East, the Pentagon said Sunday.

This comes as the region braces for possible attacks by Iran and its allies, following the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr last month.

In a statement after Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, the Pentagon said Austin had ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CVN 72) to expedite its deployment to the region.

"Secretary Austin reaffirmed the United States' commitment to taking every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of the US military's posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of rising regional tensions," the statement said, as reported by Reuters on August 12.

The announcement of the submarine deployment is rare. The nuclear-powered submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729) was previously in the Mediterranean Sea in July, according to a US military post on social media.

The U.S. military has previously said it would deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the Middle East, as Washington seeks to bolster Israel’s defenses.

Haniyeh was killed in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on July 31, in an attack that prompted Iranian threats of revenge against Israel. Iran blamed Israel for the killing. Israel has not claimed responsibility.

Meanwhile, the assassination of senior military commander of the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group, Fuad Shukr, by Israel in an attack in Beirut, has sparked fears that the conflict in Gaza, Palestine, is turning into a wider Middle East war.

Iran says the United States bears responsibility for Haniyeh's assassination because of its support for Israel.