US Announces Presence of Guided-Missile Submarine in the Middle East

The Ohio-Class submarine is armed with Tomahawk missiles

The US military announced on Sunday that a US nuclear-powered submarine was in the Middle East in the latest provocation aimed at warning regional actors against attacking Israel or US forces.

US Central Command said an Ohio-class submarine entered the region without offering other details. A US Navy spokesperson later told Business Insider that it is a guided-missile submarine (SSGN), which can carry 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, as opposed to a ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN), which would be armed with nuclear weapons.

The submarine represents another form of substantial American firepower in the region. The US typically does not announce the location of its Ohio-class submarines unless it’s looking to send a threatening message. The US recently docked a nuclear-armed Ohio-Class submarine in South Korea for the first time since the 1980s, a significant provocation toward North Korea.

Since the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, the US has deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups, air defenses, more troops, and additional fighter jets and bombers to the region. US MQ-9 Reaper drones are also flying over Gaza, and US special operations forces are in Israel.

The show of force has not deterred attacks on US forces based in Syria and Iraq, and Hezbollah and Israel continue to trade fire across the Lebanon-Israel border. Yemen’s Houthis have also fired missiles and drones at Israel and said the attacks would continue until Israel ends its onslaught on Gaza.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.