Egypt shuts down US B-52s' airspace request on way to Middle East

Two US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers and a tanker aircraft took off from the UK heading towards the Middle East.

However, the aircraft spent some time in the air south of Crete, as Egypt denied them permission to fly through its airspace, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish newspaper.

Egypt has rejected the request of the two US B-52H Stratofortress bombers to pass through its airspace. Military sources report that the aircraft's alert status was raised to red, and members of Congress were briefed on the developments.

The officials said that while B-52s are typically not used for strikes in the region due to the existing military presence, the current situation could carry a different implication.

On the other hand, the fact that the aircraft were refueling and fully loaded increased the likelihood of a major military operation. At the same time, unconfirmed reports drew attention to a possible "emergency situation" signal from a US F-16 fighter jet in Saudi Arabia.

France sent a refueling aircraft to the region, but its transponder signals were turned off. Later, one of the B-52 bombers headed for the Middle East entered Jordanian airspace, while the other disappeared from radar over the Persian Gulf, heading towards Iran via Iraq.

By Naila Huseynova