US bombers arrive in Middle East as concerns of Iranian attack on Israel mount
AP: U.S-Iranian journalist held in Iran after Israeli attack
An Iranian-American journalist who once worked for a U.S. government-funded broadcaster is believed to have been detained by Iran for months now, authorities said Sunday, further raising the stakes as Tehran threatens to retaliate over an Israeli attack on the country.
U.S. bombers have arrived in the Middle East region as tensions flare over Iran potentially launching another attack on Israel, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed early Sunday.
B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers from Minot Air Force Base's 5th Bomb Wing arrived in the Middle East, CENTCOM said, without elaborating.
Pentagon officials earlier said that B-52 long-range bombers, along with more destroyers, fighter squadrons and tankers, would be deployed to the region to deter Iran and its militant allies.
The moves come ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday and as the entire Middle East region teeters on the edge of being engulfed in a wider regional conflict over the ongoing conflicts between Israel and Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza and Lebanon.
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CENTCOM shared a photo of a B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber in a post on social media confirming that the bombers arrived in the Middle East region early Sunday. (U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM))
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday threatened Israel and the U.S. with "a crushing response" following Israeli strikes on Oct. 26 that targeted military bases and other locations and killed at least five people in the Islamic Republic.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday threatened the U.S. and Israel. (ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Image, File)
"The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front," Khamenei said in a video released by Iranian state media.
Khamenei did not elaborate on when such an attack could occur or its potential scope.
Iran threatens Israel and US with 'crushing response'
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed "a tooth-breaking response" against Israel and the United States on Saturday "for what they are doing against Iran" and its proxies. Any further attacks from either side could engulf the wider Middle East into a wider regional conflict just ahead of the U.S. presidential election this Tuesday. Mark Chandler with Coastal Carolina University joined LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow to discuss.
Iran had already launched two major direct attacks on Israel in April and again in October. The latest attack saw Iran launch nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards targets in Israel.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military last month sent Israel a U.S. missile defense system, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, aimed at protecting Israel from potential Iranian attacks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.