WASHINGTON, October 19. /TASS/. The USS Carney, a US Navy missile destroyer sent to the Middle East to provide security, has passed through the Suez Canal, the press service of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet reported.

"The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) is in transit in the Suez Canal, this October 18. Carney is deployed to the Middle East to help ensure maritime security and stability in regional waters," the press service dubbed the photo of the ship posted on its X (formerly known as Twitter) page.

The Fifth Fleet's area of responsibility is the western Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Its home base is in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

Earlier, it was reported that another US Navy ship, the USS Mount Whitney, will be sent to the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea to "support US operations" amid the escalation in the Middle East. The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group has already arrived in the region with more than 4,500 servicemen on board. It is accompanied by five ships with a total of more than 1,600 servicemen. The US aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (5,000 servicemen on board) and three escort ships (a total of about 1,000 servicemen on board) were also sent to the region.

Earlier, the Washington Post and the Fox News TV channel reported that the reinforcements transferred by the US military to the Middle East include only around 4,000 servicemen. Referring to information received from the US defense department, the media explained that they were talking about US Navy and Marine Corps personnel, including special operations units. They are stationed on the landing ships Bataan, Carter Hall and Mesa Verde. The first two ships were in the Gulf of Oman on Monday, while the third was in the Mediterranean. Exactly where these assets will ultimately be deployed has not yet been announced.