At least 10 US warships operating in Middle East - BBC Verify

At least 10 US warships are now believed to be operating in the Middle East, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, BBC Verify reported.

The report said a US guided-missile destroyer, the USS Delbert D. Black, was tracked sailing through the Suez Canal toward the Gulf on Wednesday, citing ship-tracking data from the MarineTraffic website.

A US official confirmed to BBC Verify on Tuesday that the aircraft carrier is in the region, although it has not appeared on public ship-tracking sites for more than a week.

BBC Verify also tracked a US Navy Osprey aircraft early on Thursday flying in the Gulf toward Oman. Ospreys are tiltrotor transport aircraft known to operate from the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Another Osprey was tracked on Tuesday broadcasting its position off the coast of Oman, which BBC Verify said could suggest the carrier is operating in the area.