Guided-missile submarine USS Florida transits the Suez Canal en route to the Red Sea on Friday. Image Courtesy: US Navy
New Delhi: The US Navy said on Saturday a nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine was operating in the Middle East, a show of force that comes amid growing harassment of US troops in Syria and attacks on US bases by Iran-backed militants.
USS Florida, an Ohio-class submarine that carries 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, entered the region Thursday and began transiting the Suez Canal the following day, Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet, said in a statement.
“It is capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and is deployed to US 5th Fleet to help ensure regional maritime security and stability,” Hawkins said.
The fleet’s area of responsibility includes the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.
The Navy doesn’t typically choose to reveal the locations of its submarines while they’re at sea. The photo, taken Friday, was released through the Defence Department’s media website.
The show of force follows the repositioning of the George HW Bush Carrier Strike Group in the Mediterranean Sea closer to the Middle East, as well as US airstrikes on facilities in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Those actions came after a drone attack in Syria last month that killed a US contractor and injured at least five service members and another contractor.
The US also is concerned about potential threats to merchant vessels in regional waters, according to an official familiar with the matter.
Analysts say that Iran is likely to continue its proxy attacks.
With inputs from agencies
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.