The US military is set to deploy additional forces to the Middle East, including a number of nuclear-capable B-52H strategic bombers, the Pentagon has announced.
The deployment was reportedly ordered by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to compensate for the scheduled departure of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group from the region, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder has said in a statement.
Apart from “several” B-52H bombers, the assets include “additional ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft,” he said on Friday. The forces are scheduled to arrive “in the coming months,” Ryder added without giving any exact timeframe.
The upcoming deployment is supposed to show Washington’s commitment to “the defense of Israel,” as well as to “de-escalation through deterrence and diplomacy.” The Pentagon explicitly stated that the move, as well as its “recent decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to Israel,” was aimed at Tehran.
“Secretary Austin continues to make clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people,” the spokesman stressed.
The announcement comes as tensions continue to soar in the Middle East, with Iran and Israel remaining locked in a spiral of violence. In the latest escalation, Israel conducted a series of strikes against Iran last Saturday. The barrage came in response to an Iranian missile strike on Israel in early October, which, in turn, was touted as a retaliation for a string of high-profile assassinations allegedly carried out by Israel.