US to deploy B-52s, warships to Middle East as aircraft carrier departs

PHOTO CAPTION: A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress preflight crew with the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron works in the cockpit before launching an early morning sortie from Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Darwin, Australia, April 3, 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 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.



(Reporting by Phil Stewart; editing by Diane Craft)