Combat aircraft from Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia flew alongside US B1 bombers over the Middle East on Thursday in the Pentagon’s latest display of force directed at Iran.
Aircraft from five Middle Eastern militaries linked up with a pair of US Air Force B1-B Lancers as they transited the Persian Gulf region after having been launched from the UK, US military officials said.
The demonstration culminated with the American bombers dropping live munitions at training ranges in Saudi Arabia and Jordan before flying back to base in Spain. The B-1Bs dropped "multiple" air-launched AGM-158A JASSM cruise missiles and 550-pound GBU-38 bombs on “multiple simulated targets” during the mission, a defense official told Al-Monitor.
The Pentagon is withholding the identity of two Middle Eastern countries that took part in the exercise at their request, officials said.
