Washington (CNN)The US military flew two B-52 bombers to the Middle East Thursday from their base in the United States -- the fourth such deployment and show of force by the US Air Force aimed at
sending a message to Iran in the past two months.
This latest mission was to "demonstrate the U.S. military's continuing commitment to regional security and deterrence to aggression," the Air Force said in a statement and comes amid concerns Iran may still seek to retaliate for the assassination of Tehran's top military commander in a US drone strike just over a year ago.
The move suggests there will be no let-up in the US deterrence campaign as tensions remain high less than two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office."The aircrews flew a 36-hour, non-stop mission from the 5th Bomb Wing's home at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to the Arabian Gulf and back to send a clear deterrent message by displaying the ability to deploy overwhelming combat power on short notice," the statement said.
"We continue to see increasing levels of readiness across Iranian defensive systems, and continue to have indications of advanced planning for potential attacks in Iraq, though it is unclear if and when they may move forward with any attack," a defense official said of movements in the region.
There is a broad sense of concern that adversaries could take advantage of the domestic turmoil in the US but as of now there is no indication of any elevated threat tied to the riots that took place at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday.