Pentagon deploys B-52 bombers, tankers to Middle East amid rising tensions

Pentagon chief ordered several B-52 bombers and refueling tanker aircraft to the Middle East, United States official said.

The Pentagon said in a statement that this deployment, that also includes fighter jets and Navy destroyers, is part of the readjustment of military assets as the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group prepares to leave the region.

The Pentagon added that deployments would take place in the coming months and demonstrated the flexibility of the US military movements around the world.

“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,” Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said in a statement.

The United States has had as many as two aircraft carriers in the Middle East during the past year of soaring tensions since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Oct. 2023.

The Lincoln’s withdrawal will create an aircraft carrier gap until another is cycled into the Middle East.

The latest adjustment in US forces in the region follows direct exchanges of fire in October between Israel and Iran. Israel is also fighting Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and has carried out strikes in Yemen after coming under attack from Iran-aligned Houthi fighters.

The United States has pledged to help defend Israel against attack and to safeguard US forces in the Middle East, who have been attacked by Iran-backed groups in Syria, Iraq, Jordan and off the coast of Yemen.