The move comes amid concerns of Iran’s response following the killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area.

The order on Sunday evening followed a telephone call between Austin and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Galant amid mounting tensions following the killing of senior members of Hamas and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Austin “reiterated the United States’ commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of U.S. military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions”, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine, was already in the Mediterranean Sea in July, according to a US military post on social media, but it is rare for the US to publicly announce the deployment of a submarine.

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