U.S. to deploy additional destroyers, fighter jets and bombers to the Middle East

U.S. beefs up troops in Middle East region where Israeli-Iranian armed conflict has heightened tensions

Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said in a statement that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of a ballistic missile defense destroyer, battalions of fighter jets and aerial refueling aircraft, and several more B-52 strategic bombers in the Middle East.A spokesman for

Rider explained that the decision was made to build up power in line with its commitment to protect the American people and troops in the Middle East, defend Israel, and prevent escalation through deterrence and diplomacy.

He also said it would take months for the forces that ordered the deployment to arrive in the Middle East and that Abraham Lincoln's carrier fleet, which was operating in the region, was preparing to leave the Middle East.