Overview
- Gen. Dan Caine, who briefed reporters Tuesday, said B-52s have begun overland missions after U.S. forces struck more than 11,000 targets in the past month.
- The move shifts the campaign from costly stand-off missile shots to bomber sorties that can loiter and hit mobile launchers.
- U.S. planners are focusing strikes on sites that make or store Iranian anti-ship missiles and sea mines to reduce Tehran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.
- Israel says about 80% of Iran’s air defenses are down, and analysts note remaining Bavar-373 or S-300 batteries face degraded radars and disrupted networks that limit their reach.
- The U.S. flies about 72 active B-52s, an aging fleet now getting new engines and radars to sustain longer missions through midcentury.