U.S. Submarine and Aircraft Carrier Heading to the Middle East

The Pentagon announced that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a missile submarine to the Middle East and expedited the arrival of an aircraft carrier group to the region ahead of an expected Iranian attack against Israel. The "USS Georgia," a nuclear-powered submarine armed with cruise missiles, has been operating in the Mediterranean in recent days after completing training near Italy. The Pentagon stated that Austin has directed the submarine to enter Middle Eastern waters. Movements of U.S. missile submarines are rarely made public, and these nuclear-powered vessels operate in near-complete secrecy. According to CNN, the announcement of the submarine's movement sends a clear message to deter Iran and its proxies, whom the U.S. and Israel believe are preparing for a potential large-scale attack on Israel. Austin also ordered the "USS Abraham Lincoln" carrier group to accelerate its transit to the Middle East, the Pentagon reported. The Lincoln strike group includes a carrier equipped with F-35C fighter jets, as well as several destroyers. Austin's announcement followed a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.