An American B-52 bomber. (Credit: Roslan Rahman/AFP)
American B-52 fighter jets have arrived in the Middle East, the U.S. armed forces announced on Saturday, following the Pentagon's declaration of new military deployments aimed at ''defending Israel'' and warning Iran.
''Strategic B-52 bombers from Minot Air Force Base [in North Dakota] are now under the responsibility of CENTCOM [the U.S. Central Command for military operations in the Middle East],'' according to a brief message on social media.
The Pentagon had announced on Friday evening the upcoming military deployments over the ''next few months'' to bolster the ''defense of Israel'' and to serve as a warning to Tehran, a long-time adversary of both Israel and Washington. ''If Iran, its partners, or affiliated groups take advantage of this moment to target U.S. personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take all necessary measures to defend itself,'' the Department of Defense warned.
The deployments include missile defense systems, fighter jets, B-52 bombers and other types of military aircraft.
Israel, an unwavering ally of the United States, has been at war with Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, and is also confronting Hezbollah on its northern border, both groups supported by Iran. For the first time, Iran and Israel, longstanding enemies, have openly exchanged direct fire, with Israeli aircraft launching a raid on military targets in Iran on Oct. 26 in response to a barrage of around 200 missiles fired by Tehran at Israel on Oct. 1.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
