Two American B-52 bombers flew on an uninterrupted mission of 30 hours or more, round trip from the United States to the Middle East to send a new warning to Iran, while a senior military official said that new warnings were detected, a sign that Potential “complex attacks” against Americans are forming as the US’s one-year anniversary killing Iran’s most powerful general approaches.
In a statement, the U.S. Central Command said the bombers were launched from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota on Tuesday morning, marking the third time in the past 45 days that US Air Force bombers carried out deterrence missions over the Persian Gulf under hunting escort. The bombers flew without incident, and Iran had not reacted publicly until Wednesday morning.
A US Air Force B-52 from Barksdale Air Force Base is refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker over the area of responsibility of the US Central Command on December 30, 2020. The B-52 Stratofortress is a heavy bomber long-range that is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and can carry precisely guided nuclear or conventional ammunition with precision global navigation capability. (United States Air Force photo by Senior Airman Roslyn Ward)
“The United States continues to deploy combat-ready capabilities in the area of responsibility of the U.S. Central Command to stop any potential adversary and make it clear that we are ready and able to respond to any aggression directed at the Americans or our interests,” he said. the general. Frank McKenzie, commander of the US Central Command. “We do not seek conflict, but no one should underestimate our ability to defend our forces or to act decisively in response to any attack.”
January 3 marks the one-year anniversary of US Special Operations forces by killing Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani in a drone attack in Baghdad. A recent US intelligence report says Iran wants to “avenge that murder,” according to a US military official who spoke to Fox News and a small group of reporters before the bomber’s flight. The official requested anonymity to discuss the confidential information.
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The new information about Iran is the “most worrying” information that has come since Soleimani’s murder last year. In May 2019, U.S. officials detected a wave of weapons arriving in Iraq, prompting the U.S. Central Command to request that aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln be sent to the region.
The new bomber’s flight comes a week after President Trump threatens to retaliate against Iran after 21 rockets were launched at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on December 20, the biggest attack on the broad diplomatic complex of the past decade. The senior official said he also saw the “potential for other, more complex attacks” against Americans in Iraq: “I think the United States embassy in Baghdad is likely to be attacked again in some way.”
“We are seeing plans, especially in Iraq, for complex attacks that require Iranian assistance to carry out,” the official warned. “It is not clear to us whether it is a contingency plan or a plan that is moving forward because approval has been given and they are just trying to put all the pieces in place and execute them.”
Although there are a number of potential attacks against Americans in the Middle East, “the most worrying is in Iraq,” said the official.
“We see a good deal of advanced conventional weaponry of different types that is flowing across the border with Iraq,” they added. “The threat flows are very real.”
The U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon is refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker over the US Central Command area of responsibility on December 30, 2020. The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range heavy bomber capable of flying against high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and can carry conventional precision-guided or nuclear ammunition with precision global navigation capability. (United States Air Force photo by Senior Airman Roslyn Ward)
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When asked what types of “complex attacks” Iran could be planning, the official said short-range ballistic missiles or potentially “unmanned systems”, cruise missiles and “quadruplet helicopters” similar to those used in the Aramco attack. oil processing facilities last year.
“The scale of this planning and the complexity of the predicted attacks is something that has certainly caught our attention.”
In his tweet, two days before Christmas, Trump showed photos of what he said were three rockets that were not launched in the attack on the embassy and said they were from Iran. “An Iran-friendly health advice: if an American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think carefully, “said the president.
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Since the rocket attack last week against the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Iraqi authorities have made several arrests. “Iraqis are really taking the role here” to stop future attacks on Americans, the official said.
All US military planning against Iran is “defensive” in nature, the official said, as a precaution in case Iran launches new attacks against American interests. No offensive attacks are being planned, the official added. Messages warning Tehran have also been sent to Iran through intermediaries within Iraq, the official said.
Last month, Iran’s top nuclear scientist was shot with what would have been a remote-controlled machine gun. Tehran officials blamed Israel for the planned murder. Given the close ties between the US and Israel, “there is a chance that we can be, you know, caught in the middle,” warned the official.
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On New Year’s Eve last year, a mob attacked the United States Embassy in Baghdad. No Americans were injured, but a rapid reaction force from the US Marines was sent from Kuwait to reinforce security after the embassy perimeter was damaged by the disturbances.
Days later, on January 3, an American drone orbiting Baghdad international airport killed the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, Major General Qassem Soleimani, along with the militia leader supported by Iranian Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. US military officials said Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers during the Iraq War. They said Soleimani was also responsible for a series of rocket attacks on American bases and the embassy in Iraq.
Last week, the guided missile submarine USS Georgia armed with up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and a dry shelter for Navy SEALs entered the Persian Gulf, according to the 5th Navy Fleet. It was the first public announcement of a guided-missile submarine transiting the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran, to the gulf in eight years. Escorting the submarine were cruisers Port Royal and Philippine Sea, also armed with dozens of cruise missiles each. Guided missile destroyer John Paul Jones is also patrolling the Persian Gulf.
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The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is currently off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean, but could return to the Arabian Sea to launch attacks on dozens of F-18 Super Hornets if necessary, the military official said. Last month, an American F-16 fighter squadron from Germany arrived at Al Dhafra Air Force Base in the United Arab Emirates.
The purpose of bomber flights, as well as the increase in American firepower in the Persian Gulf in recent days, is to dissuade Iran for the purpose of “sending them a clear signal that if they decide to act against our forces, we have the responsiveness, “said the official.