US to Deploy B-52s, Warships to Middle East as Aircraft Carrier Departs

Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Patrick Ryder speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 in Washington. (AP)
Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Patrick Ryder speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 in Washington. (AP)
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US to Deploy B-52s, Warships to Middle East as Aircraft Carrier Departs

Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Patrick Ryder speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 in Washington. (AP)
Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Patrick Ryder speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 in Washington. (AP)

The United States said on Friday it will deploy B-52 bombers, fighter jets, refueling aircraft and Navy destroyers to the Middle East, in a readjustment of military assets as the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group prepares to leave the region.

The Pentagon said in a statement 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 militias.

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



Israel Says it Eliminated Commander in Hezbollah's Radwan Force

People take part in the funeral procession of Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
People take part in the funeral procession of Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Israel Says it Eliminated Commander in Hezbollah's Radwan Force

People take part in the funeral procession of Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
People take part in the funeral procession of Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

The Israeli military eliminated the commander in the Hezbollah Radwan force's anti-tank missile unit Riad Rida Ghazzawi in the al-Sultaniyah village in southern Lebanon, it said in a statement on Monday.
Late in September, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah with an air strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, in the biggest blow to Hezbollah in decades.
Despite growing pressure from the United States and others in the international community for a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon, intensified Israeli strikes against the Hezbollah militant group are expanding beyond Lebanon’s border areas. Israel is also fighting a seemingly endless war against Hamas in northern Gaza.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted last year, at least 2,900 people have been killed and more than 13,150 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reports. Health authorities say that a quarter of those killed were women and children.