As Soleimani's anniversary draws near, US's bombers arrive in ME

In a statement, the US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region, said that the deployment of the bombers was "a clear message of deterrence to anyone intending to harm Americans or American interests."

General Frank McKinsey, Commander of the Central Command, said: "The United States continues to deploy combat-ready capabilities in the CENTCOM area to deter any potential adversary, and to clarify that we are ready and able to respond to any aggression directed against the Americans or our interests."

"We have no conflicts to pursue, but no one should underestimate our ability to defend our forces or act decisively in response to any attack," McKinsey continued.

Wednesday's mission is the third to have deployed this kind of bombers in the Central Command's area of operations in the past 45 days.

This comes amid ongoing tensions with Iran and the Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, as well as fears that Iran may seek to attack US interests, in memory of the drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Quds Force.

(A)

ANHA