One of the US’s most fearsome bombers has landed in the UK ahead of possible deployment to Iran, after the war secretary warned that strikes are ‘about to surge dramatically’. The 146ft B-1 Lancer has a wingspan of 137ft,

Iranian bombers came within minutes of striking the largest military base housing US troops in the Middle East before Qatari planes shot them down, two sources briefed on the operation told CNN.

The U.S. military used stealth B-2 bombers to strike Iranian ballistic missile facilities Saturday night as part of the ongoing “Operation Epic Fury.” U.S. Central Command (Centcom) confirmed Sunday

Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said Thursday that U.S. bomber forces have struck nearly 200 targets across Iran in the past three days while Iranian missile and drone attacks have dropped sharply since the operation began.

Before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Washington assembled its largest force and some of its most powerful weaponry in the Middle East in decades.