Washington, 7 August 2024 (TDI): About a dozen F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier have flown to a military base in the Middle East, as part of the United States’ effort to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its allies and to safeguard US forces.
The F/A-18s and a E-2D Hawkeye surveillance jets took off from the carrier in the Gulf of Oman and landed at the undisclosed base on Monday, according to media reports.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the increased military presence in the Middle East as officials worry about escalating violence in the region in the wake of the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Tehran, in suspected Israeli strikes.
#US sends ship-based Navy fighter jets to a base in the Middle East to help protect #Israel. #Palestine #Gaza https://t.co/mwbMFPVaEN pic.twitter.com/EhW6FU9d37
— Arab News (@arabnews) August 7, 2024
The Navy jets’ land-based deployment is likely to be temporary, because a squadron of Air Force F-22 fighter planes is enroute to the same base from their home station in Alaska. The roughly dozen F-22s are likely to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days.
It’s not clear how long all the warplanes will remain together at the base, and that may depend on what — if anything — happens in the next few days.
US Releases Details of Rocket Attack in Iraq
The troop movements come as US officials released more details about the rocket attack that targeted a military base in Iraq on Tuesday, wounding American personnel. Officials said 5 US service members and two contractors were injured when two rockets hit the base.
The officials said five of those wounded were being treated at the Al-Asad air base and two were evacuated, but all seven are in stable condition. They did not give details on who was evacuated.
