Live Update arrow right icon From the Liveblog of Friday, November 1, 2024

Pentagon bolsters the US presence in the Middle East with bomber aircraft and warships

By AP 1 November 2024, 10:43 pm 27 Edit
In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge sail in formation as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group in the Arabian Sea. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur, U.S. Navy via AP, File)
In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge sail in formation as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group in the Arabian Sea. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur, U.S. Navy via AP, File)

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is sending additional bomber aircraft and Navy warships to the Middle East to bolster the US presence in the region as an aircraft carrier and its warships are preparing to leave, US officials say.

Austin ordered several B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft, tanker aircraft and Navy destroyers to deploy to the Middle East, according to four US and defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements.

The moves come at a critical time as Israel’s wars with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon rage, even as officials press for a cease-fire. The US has repeatedly said it will defend Israel and continue to protect American and allied presence in the region, including from Yemen-based Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea.

The long-range nuclear-capable B-52 bomber has been repeatedly deployed to the Middle East in pointed warnings to Iran and it is the second time this month that strategic US bombers will be used to bolster US defenses in the region. Earlier this month, B-2 stealth bombers were used to strike underground Houthi targets in Yemen.

Officials do not provide specific number of aircraft and ships that will move into the region. There have been as many as 43,000 US forces in the region recently.

According to a US official, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and the three Navy destroyers in its strike group are scheduled to leave the Middle East by mid-month and return to their home port in San Diego.

The Lincoln and two of its destroyers are now in the Gulf of Oman, and the third destroyer is with two other warships in the Red Sea.

Most Popular