U.S. Sends Attack Submarine to Middle East as Tensions Rise Between Iran and Israel

According to a U.S. Navy spokesperson, the United States Navy announced on Saturday it had sent a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East. This comes a day after U.S. 5th Fleet, along with its partners, issued a warning to all ships urging them to proceed cautiously following the escalating tensions in the Middle East between Iran and Israel.

According to U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Force is preparing to launch a drone strike against Israeli-owned merchant ships sailing in the Persian Gulf or the Arabian Sea. Two senior Western intelligence officials who were aware of the threat requested anonymity as they weren't authorized to speak out publicly.

A political strategist in Iran close to the Guards has said that Iran is considering attacking Israeli owned ships in the area as a way of retaliating for the Israeli airstrikes on Syria in March, which killed two Guardsmen.

Officials in the United States said that the U.S.S. Florida was deployed to deter Iran, and maintain stability in one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, where millions of dollars worth of commercial goods, oil, and gas is transported each day.

According to a U.S. Navy spokesperson, the Florida entered the area on Thursday, and began transiting through the Suez Canal by Friday.

Cmdr. Hawkins, a spokesperson for the 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, said: "Recent events such as the strikes on Syria and threats by Iran to attack merchant vessels have prompted us remind regional mariners of their duty to be vigilant." Timothy Hawkins is a spokesperson for the 5th Fleet based in Bahrain.

It was highly unusual for the U.S. Military to make a public announcement announcing its presence and location, as it does not usually acknowledge its presence anywhere. This is in contrast to ships and planes which can be tracked.

The Pentagon announced last week that it would extend the tour of aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush in eastern Mediterranean, and accelerating the deployment of Air Force A-10 strike planes to an air base in the Middle East.

Iran and Israel are engaged in an ongoing shadow war, which has spanned land, air and cyberspace. Since March 2021, they have been attacking each other's ships on open waters.

According to a spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Defense, Israel's Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant, spoke with his U.S. equivalent, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Saturday.

In a Saturday statement, the ministry called Iran "the greatest destabilizing factor in the region."

The statement said that 'Israel faces a variety of attacks on every front' and added that 'our defence establishment is ready and we will tolerate no threat to our troops and citizens.

Israel intensified airstrikes in Syria on targets affiliated with Iran in March. Two Iranian Guardsmen, including the commander for a cyber unit, were killed. Iran declared both men martyrs, held a public procession to honor them and senior military leaders vowed revenge on Israel.

The Guards announced the deaths of the men in a press release. Nasser Kannaani, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said that Iran reserves its right to react to Israel's killing of Iranian troops 'at the appropriate time and place'.

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The United Kingdom Marine Trade Operation (UKMTO), which monitors maritime safety, issued a 'increased risk' warning on Wednesday to all vessels transiting through the northern Indian Ocean after it detected unusual activity.

Two Western intelligence officials claim that by Thursday, the U.S. 5th Fleet warned Israel's Defense Establishment about an imminent Iranian threat against Israeli ships. They also said the Guards are in a position of striking.

According to a senior employee at an Israeli shipping firm who declined to be identified because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly, the U.S. 5th Fleet warned Israeli shipping companies on Thursday. He said that past Iranian attacks against commercial vessels were carried out on ships that had previously belonged either to Israelis or to Israelis who owned only a portion of the vessel.

Israeli ships are advised to turn off transponders and sail as near as possible to Oman's coast and away from Iran's coast. They should also report any suspicious activities and their location.

The tensions in the Middle East, which have been escalating for the past several weeks, include strikes and counterstrikes by the Israeli military in Syria as well as clashes between Palestinian militias and fighters from Lebanon and the Israeli army.

Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza and southern Lebanon on Friday, in response to a barrage of rockets from Lebanon which the Israeli military attributed to a Gaza-based Palestinian Hamas branch. The rocket attacks were in response to clashes that took place between Arab worshipers at the Aqsa Mosque and Israeli police the previous day.

Senior U.S. officials said that the deployment of this submarine in the Middle East region was significant, as it marked the first instance in 19 months where U.S. Central Command (which oversees the Middle East, and some adjacent regions) has taken operational command of an U.S. assault submarine. The Navy made a public statement that this submarine would be in the Middle East for some time.

There was no sign that tensions were easing on Saturday. Israel's military reported that three rockets had been launched from southern Syria towards the Golan Heights region of Israel, and one of them landed on Israeli soil near the town Meitsar. The military reported that one rocket fell in Syria.

The majority of rocket attacks against Israel come from militias that are part of an 'axis for resistance', which is supported by Iran and armed with its funds to fight Israel in a united regional battle.