According to the Wall Street Journal, cited by ynet, the United States is deploying additional fighter jets to the Middle East. No details on the number or timeline have been disclosed.
The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday evening, as cited by ynet, that the United States is sending additional fighter jets to the Middle East. The report did not specify the number of aircraft, the deployment timeline, or the destinations. The development extends a series of US force movements in the region, following earlier reports of aircraft being redeployed back to the Middle East.
On Friday at 17:03 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that the WSJ had said refueling aircraft evacuated to Europe were scheduled to return to the Middle East, and that fighter jets were also being redeployed from Europe. Later Friday evening, The Zioneer documented a significant increase in US Air Force movements to the region (20:15 Jerusalem) and a report of over 10 US cargo aircraft en route from Europe (23:14 Jerusalem). On Saturday, the Axios news site reported that the US is sending dozens of additional refueling aircraft to Israel, citing American and Israeli sources.
The buildup follows weeks of US aerial operations against Iran, including strikes in the Strait of Hormuz. As The Zioneer has reported, Gulf sources have described US fighter squadrons taking off from Jordan toward Iran, and Iraqi sources have reported US and Israeli jets over Iraq. The Zioneer has also documented multiple reports of US tanker and fighter aircraft movements across the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and the Strait of Hormuz.
The WSJ report is the latest in a series of convergent but unconfirmed reports. No official confirmation has been issued by the US military, and the specific operational purpose of the additional fighter deployments remains unclear.
5 developments
- StrongWSJ: US deploys F-16s, F-35s, aerial tankers to Middle East amid announcement of US soldier deaths
- DevelopingReport: Large number of US fighter jets over Middle East, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz
- StrongReport: Significant increase in US Air Force aircraft movements to the Middle East
- DevelopingF-16 fighter squadron with 5 refueling aircraft heads to Middle East, report says
Source and signal
- Internal intake