Washington withdraws aircraft carrier from Middle East, sends military reinforcements including bombers

The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced sending new military reinforcements to the Middle East, while the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln prepares to leave the region.

A Pentagon statement said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the deployment of a B-52 bomber group, a squadron of fighter jets, refueling aircraft, and naval destroyers. The statement said the reinforcements would begin arriving in the region in the coming months.

The statement said the new military build-up demonstrates "the United States' ability to deploy globally on short notice to confront evolving security threats," and sends a message "that if Iran, its partners, or its affiliates exploit this moment to target U.S. personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take all necessary action to defend our people."

On the other hand, the Associated Press quoted American officials as saying that the aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln" and three accompanying naval destroyers are scheduled to leave the Middle East by the middle of this month and return to their home port in San Diego on the West Coast of the United States.

After the departure of the USS Abraham Lincoln, there will be no aircraft carrier in the Middle East for some time, US officials said, without specifying how long that period will be.

One official said that compensating for the absence of the aircraft carrier, which was one of the most prominent deterrent weapons against Iran, would be through the deployment of naval destroyers capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.

These military moves come at a time when Israel continues its war on Gaza and its aggression on Lebanon, and in light of mutual missile attacks with Iran.

The United States is pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, and repeatedly stresses that it will defend Israel and continue to protect the American presence and its allies in the region.

Source: Agencies