A US Navy submarine has been pictured transiting the Suez Canal on its way to the eastern Mediterranean as part of a naval deployment in support of Israel.

The Ohio-class submarine was deployed near the Suez Canal bridge to help support maritime security and stability in the Middle East.

On Sunday, US Central Command said that the vessel had arrived in its area of responsibility.

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

The United States has bolstered its forces in the region in a bid to keep the conflict from spreading into a broader war, deploying two carrier strike groups and other assets to drive home its message that regional actors should not seek to take advantage of the unrest.