The US conducted a major flyover of bombers and fighter jets over nine countries across the Middle East, in a show of force against Iran and its allies. The Central Command (CENTCOM) mission, included aerial refueling drills and live munitions drops.
CENTCOM chief Gen. Erik Kurilla declared, “Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate US power projection capability, commitment to regional security, and ability to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the CENTCOM region.”
The Air Force’s B-52 Stratrofortress bombers which led the mission are based in the UK, also involved were American F-15s and other fighters flown by unnamed partner nations. The warplanes first flew through Europe and then over nine partner nations under the CENTCOM area of responsibility, although it’s not clear which countries those were. “Live munitions drops at ranges in several partner nations” were conducted, the command explained in a news release.
According to Air and Space Forces Magazine, “The B-52s involved in the Feb. 17 long-range mission over the Middle East are part of a Bomber Task Force deployed to Europe, BTF 25-2, which kicked off last week.”
The show of force follows the departure of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group from the region after a two-month deployment in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Last November, Washington temporarily deployed six B-52 bombers to the Middle East, along with more fighters, which were used to carry out strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria. Reportedly, the November deployment was the first of its kind since 2019.
The CENTCOM mission comes after 15 months of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians, particularly those living in the besieged Gaza Strip, and Tel Aviv’s wider campaign of destruction throughout the region which saw massive bombing raids, ground invasions, and illegal occupations in Lebanon and Syria.
Although President Donald Trump has indicated he would prefer inking a new nuclear deal with Iran, after he illegally exited the previous nuclear deal in 2018, he signed an executive order ostensibly reimposing his “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign, however Biden only escalated this Trump-era policy during the last four years. Additionally, recent reports in the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, citing US intelligence, indicated Israel plans to attack Iran’s civilian nuclear facilities in the coming months with Washington’s support.
This is in spite of the fact that, as the International Atomic Energy Agency, the CIA, the Pentagon, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have clarified, there’s no evidence Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons, something Trump himself recently appeared to acknowledge. Israel is keen on hyping Iran’s supposed nuclear threat. Although Tehran has been a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty for decades, whereas Israel is not and maintains a large stockpile of undeclared nuclear weapons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened during recent weeks that Washington and Israel will soon “finish the job” regarding Iran.
A fragile ceasefire is holding in Gaza right now, amidst hostage exchanges on both sides, despite Israeli forces killing nearly 100 Palestinians in the Strip since its implementation. This has led to the cessation of Yemen’s Houthis’ attacks on Israeli targets and Israeli linked shipping in the Red Sea region as well as Washington’s undeclared war on the Houthis which only exacerbated the situation. The US and UK carried out hundreds of air strikes on Yemen over the past year, which did nothing to deter the Houthis. In fact, the group managed to launch drone and missile attacks in Israel proper, bypassing Tel Aviv’s air defenses. The Houthis have made clear that if Israel breaks the ceasefire and escalates in Gaza, as Trump has repeatedly encouraged, Sanaa’s campaign against Tel Aviv will resume.
The US, Turkey, Israel, and Ukraine backed a regime change in Syria, which saw an Al Qaeda affiliate take power in Damascus following former President Bashar Al Assad’s escape to Russia. Since then, the Israelis have been illegally seizing land in southern Syria and carrying out massive airstrikes on former Syrian Arab Army positions. The US claims it recently conducted a drone strike against a “senior operative” of Al Qaeda in the northwestern Idlib province, two people were killed per the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
This article was originally featured at Antiwar.com and is republished with permission.
