US bombers arrive in Middle East as concerns of Iranian attack on Israel mount
U.S. bombers have arrived in the Middle East region as tensions flare over Iran potentially launching another attack on Israel, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed early Sunday.
B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers from Minot Air Force Base's 5th Bomb Wing arrived in the Middle East, CENTCOM said, without elaborating.
Pentagon officials earlier said that B-52 long-range bombers, along with more destroyers, fighter squadrons and tankers, would be deployed to the region to deter Iran and its militant allies.
The moves come ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday and as the entire Middle East region teeters on the edge of being engulfed in a wider regional conflict over the ongoing conflicts between Israel and Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza and Lebanon.
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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday threatened Israel and the U.S. with "a crushing response" following Israeli strikes on Oct. 26 that targeted military bases and other locations and killed at least five people in the Islamic Republic.
"The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front," Khamenei said in a video released by Iranian state media.
Khamenei did not elaborate on when such an attack could occur or its potential scope.
Iran had already launched two major direct attacks on Israel in April and again in October. The latest attack saw Iran launch nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards targets in Israel.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military last month sent Israel a U.S. missile defense system, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, aimed at protecting Israel from potential Iranian attacks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.