Two U.S. Air Force “Stratofortress” bombers flew a mission over the Middle East just days after a rocket attack against U.S. forces in Iraq that was suspected to have been carried out by Iranian-backed militias.
“A pair of U.S. Air Force B-52H ‘Stratofortresses’ flew a multinational patrol mission across the #MiddleEast from @TeamMinot today to deter aggression and reassure partners and allies,” U.S. Central Command said on Twitter.
A pair of U.S. Air Force B-52H “Stratofortresses” flew a multinational patrol mission across the #MiddleEast from @TeamMinot today to deter aggression and reassure partners and allies @USAFCENT @MOD_Qatar @modgovksa #B52
https://t.co/dAEOYtRbgt pic.twitter.com/yPQEqywrnH— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 7, 2021
The mission was meant to “deter aggression and reassure partners and allies of the U.S. military’s commitment to security in the region,” according to an Air Force press release.
The mission comes after 10 rockets were fired at an air base in Iraq that hosts U.S. troops, which did not result in any troop casualties but did see a U.S. contractor die of a cardiac incident while sheltering from the attack. It is suspected that Iranian-backed militias were responsible for the attack, including previous attacks on U.S. interests in Baghdad’s “Green Zone.”
ROCKET ATTACK BLASTS BAGHDAD’S GREEN ZONE AMID BIDEN ATTEMPTS TO SOFTEN RELATIONS WITH IRAN
America’s B-52 bombers were escorted on the mission by Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jets, with the planes taking a flight path through Israeli airspace.
“Today (Sunday), Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jets escorted two American B-52 bombers through Israeli airspace,” the Israel Defense Force said on Twitter. “This flight is part of the joint strategic cooperation with US forces, which is pivotal in maintaining the security of Israeli and Middle Eastern skies.”
Today (Sunday), Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jets escorted two American B-52 bombers through Israeli airspace.
This flight is part of the joint strategic cooperation with US forces, which is pivotal in maintaining the security of Israeli and Middle Eastern skies. pic.twitter.com/CViOa3LvBT
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 7, 2021
Tensions between the United States and Iran have peaked in recent weeks as the Biden administration plots how best to handle relations with the Middle Eastern nation. President Biden has expressed a desire to rejoin some form of the nuclear deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama but has faced resistance from Iran after four years of former President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure campaign.
“Why on earth should Iran — a country that stood firm & defeated 4 years of a brutal US economic terrorism … show goodwill gesture first?” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter earlier this year. “It was the US that broke the deal — for no reason. It must remedy its wrong; then Iran will respond.”
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In the meantime, Israel has hinted that it could launch an attack on Iran on its own if the country does not abandon its nuclear ambitions.
“If the world stops them before, it’s very much good,” Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said last week. “But if not, we must stand independently, and we must defend ourselves by ourselves.”
