An Ohio-class submarine possibly equipped with ballistic missiles has arrived in the Mediterranean

• CENTCOM confirmed Sunday that an Ohio-class submarine traveled to the Mediterranean.

• Ohio-class submarines can be equipped with advanced ballistic or Tomahawk missiles.

• The submarine appeared to be traveling through Egypt’s Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

An Ohio-class submarine, a type of ship that may be equipped with advanced ballistic or modern equipment Tomahawk cruise missilehas arrived in the Mediterranean as the US continues to strengthen its defense posture in the middle of the Mediterranean Israel-Hamas war.

CENTCOM, the Defense Department’s combatant command with authority over U.S. forces in the Middle East and West and Central Asia, released a photo On Sunday, the submarine confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that it had arrived in the region.

Disclosing the submarine’s location is significant because the ships’ whereabouts are typically kept secret for secure regions.

The CENTCOM photo appears to show the ship traveling through the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal runs through Egypt, which borders Israel, and connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

CENTCOM representatives did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

Israeli News Agency Ynet According to reports, the submarine newly deployed to the region is the largest of the 14 ballistic submarines controlled by the US Navy and is equipped with ballistic munitions. Insider was unable to independently verify the exact weapons configuration aboard the ship. Still, the fleet of two dozen nuclear-powered and capable submarines collectively carries about half of all U.S. strategic thermonuclear warheads.

It remains unclear whether the submarine set sail for the region in response to new information suggesting its deployment may be necessary or whether the move was previously planned as part of the current U.S. military defense posture in the Middle East .

The submarine’s deployment coincided with high-level diplomatic visits Anthony Blinken to the area where the US Secretary of State met with senior Israeli leaders, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and officials from Jordan, Cyprus, Lebanon and Qatar.

Last month, the Pentagon deployed two US Navy aircraft carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean – the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and that USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. The maneuvers brought a significant amount of American firepower into waters near Israel as fears grew that the country’s war with the Gaza Strip-based militant group Hamas could escalate into a regional conflict.

The massive deployment of American firepower to support one of the country’s closest allies is intended to serve as a deterrent to enemy forces, including those in Iran that have provided support, according to military officials financially And strategically Support for Hamas as well Hezbollah, a militant group based in Lebanon.

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