The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Thursday the arrival of F-22 Raptor fighters in the Middle East, amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.
"US Air Force F-22 Raptors arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility Aug. 8 as part of US force posture changes in the region to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or its proxies," the CENTCOM said.
The move follows an earlier report by the Associated Press on Wednesday, which revealed that a squadron of advanced F-22 fighters was being relocated from their main base in Alaska to the Middle East. The roughly dozen F-22s are expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days.
U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Aug. 8 as part of U.S. force posture changes in the region to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or its proxies. pic.twitter.com/BuuzbUHu9s
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 8, 2024
About a dozen F/A-18 fighter jets and an E-2D Hawkeye surveillance aircraft from the USS Theodore Roosevelt also flew from the Gulf of Oman to a military base in the Middle East on Monday, according to US officials cited by the AP.
The deployments come in the wake of heightened tensions following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political office, in Tehran. Iranian leadership and proxy forces in the region have vowed retaliation, prompting the US to bolster its military presence.
Interested in writing for IranWire?
Share your stories.
comments