The United States military announced that an American guided missile submarine has arrived in the Middle East.
US Central Command announced on social media that the Ohio-class submarine was entering its area of responsibility, CNN reports.
A photo was also posted showing a submarine in the Suez Canal, northeast of Cairo.
The US military rarely announces the movements or operations of its fleet of ballistic and guided missile submarines, and this announcement is a clear message of deterrence aimed at Iran and its allies in the region.
The submarine, which has not been named, joins a number of other US Navy ships already in the area, including two aircraft carrier strike groups.
The United States announced in late October that it had struck two facilities in Syria used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Iran-backed groups, following a series of attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria.
The attacks came after President Joe Biden's administration vowed to respond to attacks on US personnel that Washington blamed on armed groups backed by Iran.
Reports of attacks on US forces in the region have increased since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7, when the Palestinian group launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.
At least 9,922 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza and the occupied West Bank since October 7.