The United States is sending additional fighter jets and aerial refueling aircraft to the Middle East, relocated from bases in Europe, according to a CNN report citing a US official. The deployment continues the US military buildup in the region amid ongoing tensions with Iran.
A new CNN report, citing a US official, states that the United States is sending additional fighter jets and aerial refueling aircraft to the Middle East, relocated from bases in Europe. The report adds specificity to the already extensive deployment that has been unfolding over the past day. As The Zioneer reported at 17:24 Jerusalem on Monday, US officials had already indicated that additional F-16 and F-35 squadrons and tankers were heading to the region. The new CNN report now confirms the European origin of these aircraft.
The deployment has been tracked since Sunday, 00:50 Jerusalem, when The Zioneer first reported that the US was transferring additional fighter jets from Europe to the Middle East. Within the same hour, The New York Times confirmed F-16 and F-35 jets had departed European bases, and subsequent reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times specified that 51 fighter jets were dispatched from bases in the UK, Italy, and Germany, including F-16CJ ‘Wild Weasel’ aircraft from Germany and F-35s from the UK. By 00:50 Jerusalem on Sunday, the deployment had also been linked to the announcement of US soldier deaths, and emergency situation assessments were underway at Ben Gurion Airport regarding the arrival of US refueling aircraft. The thread thus evolved from initial unconfirmed reports to multiple, corroborated on-record accounts from US officials, with the CNN report on Monday adding the European origin detail.
As The Zioneer reported over the weekend, some of the US fighter jets are expected to land at bases in Israel, and a security source said on Sunday, 13:01 Jerusalem, that the US plans to station approximately 100 aerial refueling aircraft in Israel, with dozens already arriving. The broader buildup, spanning weeks of logistical movements across the region, is part of the US military response to the ongoing escalation with Iran.
The exact number of aircraft in this latest wave, their specific destinations, and the precise timeline for their arrival have not been disclosed. The operational purpose beyond general regional reinforcement also remains unspecified.
13 developments
- ConfirmedUS plans to deploy roughly 100 aerial refueling aircraft to Israel, security source says
- DevelopingF-16 fighter squadron with 5 refueling aircraft heads to Middle East, report says
- StrongWSJ: US F-35s from UK base, aerial tankers en route to Middle East
- DevelopingUS Central Command releases photo of KC-135 refueling F-16s over Middle East
Source and signal
- Internal intake