Washington: Two American bomber aircraft took off from the United States and flew over a swath of the Middle East on Thursday, sending what U.S. officials said was a direct message of deterrence to Iran.
The move was widely considered a veiled threat to Iran, in the wake of fears that there would be retaliations from Tehran in the region as the US commenced on the process to pull troops out of it.
The US had announced last month that they will reduce troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan by mid-January, asserting that the decision fulfills Trump’s pledge to bring forces home from America’s long wars.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the mission was designed to demonstrate the U.S. military’s commitment to its regional partners and ability to deploy combat power rapidly to anywhere in the world. It was the second such mission in two months.