Manama: Military sources in Kuwait have denied online claims that the US was reinforcing its military presence in the northern Arabian Gulf state.

Social media in Kuwait circulated pictures of US tanks and vehicles in Mina Abdullah, saying they were part of a military build-up in the country.

However, the sources said that the claims were not true and that what was happening was part of a routine equipment replacement by the US military, Kuwaiti daily Al Seyassah reported on Tuesday.

The claims were made amid rising tension and open accusations in the region.