NEW YORK, December 21. /TASS/. The US missile destroyer Laboon has been deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure security in the Middle East, the US Central Command said.

"USS Laboon transits the Suez Canal, December 18. Laboon is deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region," the command said on X (formerly Twitter).

On December 15, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered extending the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea for a few more days. According to the Associated Press, the defense secretary's decision was driven by instability in the region that was caused by Israel's war in Gaza. This is the third time the aircraft carrier’s deployment in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea has been extended, the AP said.

The Washington Post reported that US forces in the Middle East have been subjected to at least 76 attacks by militants since October 17 amid the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.