The US has deployed a dozen F/A-18 fighter jets to a Middle East military base. This is happening as part of the Pentagon's efforts to protect Israel from possible attacks by Iran.
Points of attention
- The Pentagon has moved F/A-18 fighter jets to a base in the Middle East to protect Israel from possible attacks by Iran.
- The US is responding to Iran's warning of a possible attack on Israel and Iran's plans to launch an attack on a day of Jewish mourning.
- The strengthening of the US military presence in the Middle East indicates serious justified threats to the region and its stability.
What is happening in the Middle East
The F/A-18 fighter jets and E-2D Hawkeye reconnaissance aircraft took off from an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Oman and arrived at an undisclosed base on Monday, the official said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered an increased military presence in the region as officials worry about escalating violence in the Middle East following the killing last week of a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and a senior Hamas political leader in Iran, likely in Israeli strikes. Both groups are supported by Iran.
Grounding the Navy aircraft will be temporary as a squadron of U.S. Air Force F-22 fighter jets is headed to the same base from its base in Alaska.
About a dozen F-22s will arrive in the Middle East in the coming days.
It's unclear how long all the planes will stay together at the base, and that could depend on what happens — if anything — in the next few days, the paper said.
What preceded it
The day before, the head of the Foreign Ministry of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, in a conversation with the Israeli visavi Israel Katz, conveyed a warning from Iran about its readiness to attack Israel.
It was unofficially reported that the United States expects Iran to take revenge on Israel in connection with the assassination of one of the leaders of the Hamas group on August 5 or 6.
The US has decided to send an aircraft carrier strike group, a fighter squadron and additional warships to the region.
According to Sky News Arabia, Iran plans to attack Israel on August 12 and 13, a day of mourning and fasting for Jews.
It will be recalled that Ismail Gania, one of the leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas, was killed in the morning of July 31 in the capital of Iran.
