Saudi jets escort US bomber
Saudi fighter jets escorted a US Air Force strategic bomber in a “show of strength” over key waterways in the Middle East.
The B-1B Lancer passed over the Arabian Gulf, the Bab Al-Mandeb strait, the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz. It was also accompanied by military aircraft from Egypt, Bahrain and Israel. The US has stated that the bomber task force’s mission was intended to deliver a clear message of reassurance, adding that military readiness for any contingency or mission, from crisis response to multilateral exercises to one-day presence patrols like this, depends on reliable partnerships.
Since February, Iran and Israel have engaged in what analysts have called a “shadow war,” in which vessels linked to each nation have come under attack in waters around the Gulf in tit-for-tat exchanges. The regional patrol, Centcom’s fifth such operation this year, comes as talks aimed at reviving the 2015 deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program have stalled.
