Washington DC - A US nuclear-powered Ohio-class submarine is in the Middle East to help prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a broader conflict, the Pentagon said Monday.

The US Central Command posted a picture of the submarine on Sunday via the social media platform X. The image appeared to show the sub transiting Egypt's Suez Canal.

It is "now in the Fifth Fleet area of operations," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told journalists, referring to an area that includes the Gulf, Red Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

"What this does... is further support our deterrence efforts in the region," he said, without providing further details.

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Some Ohio-class submarines are armed with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, while others are configured to carry more than 150 Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Ryder did not specify which type is currently in the Middle East, but cruise missiles would have more immediate utility in the event of an escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict that began earlier this month when the militant group killed 1,400 people in a cross-border attack from Gaza.