US Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced the deployment of a squadron of F-16 fighter jets to the Middle East, amid mounting worries of an Israeli strike on Iran and increased Israeli military action in Palestine and Lebanon.
“US Air Force F-16s from the 480th Fighter Squadron based at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany arrive in the US Central Command area of responsibility,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
CENTCOM did not clarify the F-16s’ intended operational purpose but underlined their goal to strengthen US presence in the region.
The deployment comes as regional tensions rise as Israel prepares to strike Iran following Tehran’s large-scale ballistic missile attack on Israel on October 1.
Iran said it carried out the attack in retribution for the assassination of Hamas’ former senior leader in Tehran in July and the murder of former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last month. Nearly 200 missiles were fired in the salvo, which hit many areas in Israel, including a military base, but no one died.
Israel bombed Iran’s embassy in Syria on April 1, killing senior military officers, and sparking an increase in hostilities between Tel Aviv and Tehran this year.
Iran replied to the attack two weeks later by sending hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles against Israel.
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