U.S. and Israeli air forces conducted a joint operation over the eastern Mediterranean this week, the third U.S. Bomber Task Force mission to the Middle East in two weeks.

U.S. Central Command said Thursday in a news release that it conducted Tuesday "a Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East, strengthening partner interoperability and demonstrating force projection capabilities in the region."

CENTCOM said a B-25H Stratofortress, a long-range heavy bomber, traveled to the region from the RAF Fairborn base in England and "flew across Europe and into the CENTCOM area of responsibility during their mission, which included aerial refueling and training opportunities with partner nations." CENTCOM did not reveal which other "partner nations" participated, but multiple media outlets reported that Israel was part of the operation.

Royal Air Force fighter jets from Great Britain based in the Mediterranean to support missions in the Middle East also were part of the drill, according to Air & Space Forces magazine.

F-35i and F-15i fighter jets from Israel's air force reportedly joined the B-52 bomber in maneuvering, practicing operational coordination between the militaries.

"The exercise aimed to strengthen and maintain the longstanding cooperation between the forces while expanding connectivity and building integrated capabilities for a range of scenarios," Israel Defense Forces said, according to The Times of Israel.

The drill comes amid reports suggesting Israel is urging the U.S. to take joint action against Iran's nuclear program. Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized collaboration with the U.S. to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the Jewish News Syndicate reported Thursday, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar warned that diplomatic efforts are faltering, leaving military action as a possibility.

Israel's air force already conducted two strikes on Iran without U.S. support in response to Iran's ballistic missile attacks on the Jewish state. The Israeli strikes reportedly left key Iranian air defenses crippled, according to the Times of Israel, but Israel would likely need the B-52s to effectively hit Iran's heavily fortified underground nuclear sites.

The most recent exercise came just two weeks after U.S. B-52s flew "multiple missions over the Arabian Peninsula and Red Sea without landing," the Air Force said in a Feb. 20 news release. Those missions included live weapons drops. Another mission on Feb. 17 included a flight of two U.S. B-52s accompanied by Iraqi F-16s, according to Air & Space Forces magazine.

"Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate the U.S. military's ability to rapidly deploy combat power anywhere in the world and integrate it with Coalition and partner forces to enhance U.S. Central Command's ability to promote security and stability in the region," the Air Force said in its news release.

• Israel Strikes Military Compounds in Northern Syria, Citing 'Developments in the Area'
• Israel's Military Is Told to Prepare to Defend a Druze Community outside Syria's Capital