US warship docks in Lebanon amid spike in regional tensions

The United States navy destroyer USS Ramage docked briefly in Lebanon, the US embassy in Beirut said on Sunday, amid heightened regional tensions. 

The Arleigh-Burke-class vessel, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, stopped Saturday for a "one-day goodwill visit on the sidelines of its participation in ongoing efforts to ensure freedom of navigation and free-flow commerce in the eastern Mediterranean", a statement from the US embassy said.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard and Vice Admiral James Malloy hosted "an on-board reception for US and Lebanese officials", it added.

During the reception, the vice admiral and ambassador underscored "the ongoing commitment of the United States to be a strong and enduring partner for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), with the goals of enhancing military-to-military cooperation and promoting security and stability in the region", according to the statement. 

"This remarkable US ship, docked in this remarkable Lebanese city speaks volumes about the partnership between the US and Lebanese militaries," Richard said.

The US is currently engaged in a stand-off with Iran and its Lebanese ally, the Shia Hezbollah movement, which has been slapped with US sanctions and classified as a "terrorist" organisation by Washington. 

Hezbollah is a key player in Lebanese politics, represented both in parliament and the cabinet. 

The movement is militarily involved in the war in neighbouring Syria, having sent fighters to the aid of the Iran-allied regime. 

In July, the US imposed sanctions on three senior Hezbollah officials in Lebanon, including two lawmakers, in the first such move against members of parliament. 

At the end of August, powerful US financial sanctions were imposed on the Jammal Trust Bank in Lebanon, which was accused of acting as a key financial institution for Hezbollah, an arch-foe of US ally Israel.

The ship's docking comes as tensions spike in the region after an attack on two Saudi Aramco oil facilities on Saturday.

The drones attack was claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels, however US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was unlikely the attacks originated from the neighbouring war-torn country, instead pointing the finger at Iran.

"Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply," the top US diplomat tweeted.

"The United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression," Pompeo added.

The drones triggered multiple explosions, forcing the state-owned Saudi Aramco oil company to temporarily suspend production at the two facilities and interrupting about half of the company's total output, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said.

Following Pompeo’s accusations, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander warned on Sunday that American bases and aircraft carriers were within range of Iranian missiles.

"Everybody should know that all American bases and their aircraft carriers in a distance of up to 2,000 kilometres around Iran are within the range of our missiles," the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps Aerospace Force, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

"Iran has always been ready for a full-fledged war," he added.