WASHINGTON: The Pentagon announced Friday it was bolstering US forces inSaudi Arabia after Riyadh asked for reinforcements following the September14 drone-and-missile attack on Saudi oil plants which Washington blames onIran.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that two fighter squadrons and additionalmissile defense batteries were being sent to Saudi Arabia, for a total ofabout 3,000 new troops from September this year.
The move comes as tensions jumped Friday after Tehran said that suspectedmissiles had struck an Iranian tanker in the Red Sea off the coast ofJeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Read Top Stories
Tehran did not blame arch-rival Riyadh for the attack, and US defenseofficials said they were still looking into it and had no immediateexplanation. -APP/AFP
