B-52 H takes off from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, March 6.
As tensions between Washington and Iran remain high, the U.S. Central Command announced Sunday (March 7) that two Air Force B-52 bombers are on patrol over the Middle East to deter provocations and ensure regional security.
U.S. Central Command posted photos of the B-52 H Stratofortress crew taking off from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, before flying to the Middle East on its official website. The military said the two heavy bombers were accompanied by military aircraft from Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, among other countries.
The photo shows pilots from the U.S. 69th Bomb Squadron boarding the B-52s before they take off.
Although the U.S. military did not explicitly mention Iran in the statement, it said the mission was “to deter provocative behavior and reassure U.S. partners and allies of the U.S. military’s commitment to security in the region.
The IDF also posted images online of IAF F-15s escorting U.S. bombers through its airspace (see tweeted photos here).
“This flight is part of a joint strategic cooperation with the U.S. military, which is essential to maintaining the security of Israeli and Middle East airspace.” The IDF said.
The U.S. launch of the flight comes after Al-Mayadeen, a pro-Iranian channel based in the Lebanese capital Beirut, broadcast an image taken by an Iranian military drone. It showed an Israeli ship being attacked by a mysterious explosion in the Gulf of Oman on Feb. 26. While the channel tried to name Iran as not involved, Israel blamed Tehran for the attack on the ship.
The flight was the fourth such U.S. bomber deployment to the Middle East this year, and the second by the Biden administration.
Such flights had become common in the final months of former President Donald Trump‘s (R-Texas) administration. Trump decided to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Trump said at the Time that the deal not only failed to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, but also failed to regulate Iran’s financing of terrorism.
Although Biden said after taking office that the U.S. wanted to return to the deal if Iran complied with its restrictions on its nuclear program. But the U.S. military presence in Iraq continues to come under attack from Iranian-backed militias, causing tensions between the U.S. and Iran to remain high.
On the morning of March 3, at least 10 rockets were fired at U.S.-led coalition bases in western Iraq. The rockets were reportedly manufactured by Iran. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” that the U.S. could respond “at a time and place of our choosing.
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