WASHINGTON: The US has announced the deployment to the Middle East of additional military capabilities amid an escalation in the region, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin “ordered the deployment of additional ballistic missile defence destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several US Air Force B-52 long-range strike bombers to the region,“ Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said on Friday.
Combined with the decision to deploy an advanced air defence battery to Israel and reinforcement of US forces to the eastern Mediterranean, the measures are intended to strengthen security in the region and deter a further escalation.
“The reinforcement is to take place in the coming months, while the US aircraft carrier ‘Abraham Lincoln’ and its escort ships are being prepared for withdrawal from the region,“ Ryder added.
