Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Russ Scalf)
The United States military has moved over 50 warplanes to the Middle East in the last 24 hours as part of its buildup of air and naval assets close to Iran, Axios reported on February 17, citing open source flight tracking data and a U.S. official.
The mass deployment came despite reports of some progress in the second round of indirect nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, which was held on the same day in Geneva.
Online flight tracking data shows that at least a dozen F-22 Raptors have left Langley Air Force Base in Virginia heading east. At least six landed at Lakenheath Air Base in the United Kingdom. The F-22 is a stealth air superiority fighter jet, considered to be the U.S. most capable air-to-air warplane, with precision strike capabilities.
In addition, at least 48 F-16 Fighting Falcons appear to be on the move toward the Middle East. The multirole fighter jets took off from Aviano Air Base in Italy, Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and McEntire Joint National Guard Base in South Carolina.
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Two E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning And Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft also landed at Mildenhall Air Base in the UK. These radar-equipped aircraft were designed to provide all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications.
At least one U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane was also spotted on the way to the Middle East. The U-2 can provide high-altitude surveillance in addition to providing communications relay.
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It’s worth noting that a day earlier at least 18 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters left Lakenheath Air Base in the UK headed for Muwaffaq Salti, in central Jordan. The air base became one of the focal points for the U.S. military buildup in the region in recent weeks.
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And day after Axios report, additional U.S. warplanes were spotted heading to Europe and the Middle East, including four more E-3s, and at least one E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), which provides communications relay.
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The U.S. already has dozens — at least over 50 — of warplanes deployed in the Middle East, including F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets, A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support jets, and even MQ-9 Reaper combat drones.
That’s not to mention at least over 70 warplanes, mainly F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Middle East along with its strike group
A second carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, with its own flight wing and strike group are expected to arrive in the region within two weeks.
After holding indirect talks with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of United States President Donald Trump, in Geneva on February 17, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the two sides reached an understanding on the main “guiding principles” of a new nuclear agreement.
Despite this positive statement, the scale and cost of the U.S. military buildup in the Middle East appears to have reached a level where an attack on Iran is inevitable.
Iran seems well aware of this threat this time, unlike last June when it let its guards down to negotiate only to be attacked by Israel with the U.S. joining in later. Large-scale drills in the strategic Hormuz Strait made it clear that the Islamic Republic is keeping its finger on the trigger.
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the most beautiful day will be when candles are burning for dump and putler. https://hawarnews.com/ar/137555
dump and jolani have unleashed isis.
the goal is the destruction of iraq and iran.
https://hawarnews.com/ar/137529
i hope they kill all the kurds and alawites, that the shame will be so great that jolani, putler and dump will go to prison
https://hawarnews.com/ar/137546 they will both go to h e ll for supporting the ge no cide of the kurds.
the kurds genocided themselves. that’s what happens to traitors who bites the hand that gave them sanctuary for years. no sympathy.
i wish dump would go to jail. newsom would then move to the white house, zaluzhny would take over the leadership of ukraine. then the missiles would kill the ass ad and putler in pussia. https://hawarnews.com/ar/137549
maybe trump wants russia to tremble in fear while watching the show. mutual annihilation would be the result no matter how many planes they can provide for israel.
the jooz will keep pushing their amerikunt whores until they drive the whole world over the abyss into a world war. they have incited most of the wars in history.
war is imminent, if you take into account everything that happened in the us empire of the exceptionals and their lackeys of europe and vassals and satellites, you will realize they were looking for war for so many years. the orange racoon neocon is their last chance to war war war against everyone to protect their hegemony that is fading away from the exceptionals. let’s see if iran will fight alone against several adversaries.
and don’t be too optimistic about russia or china intervention; in real geopolitics everyone else is dispensable tool except but you. already happened that russia had to leave alone their long alliance when the us empire of the exceptionals and their euro vassals destroyed several countries during cold war and the last examples were libya, or syria, cuba and now iran.
i had such a meaningful response to this announcement but the s-f division at langley va wouldn’t allow me to post it… again.
all we can do is hope and pray that when the fully compromised pedophile-in-chief holding the “football” gives the green light to the arm-chair hardened, knee pad wearing admirals and generals -the chain of command below them will dust off that ucmj manual that tells the child molestor/sodomizer/(murderer) that the orders are illegal and to f*** off!… because if they fully understood what is coming their way (this time around) they wouldn’t do it!…
and one can only ponder what the men and women in uniform that are following the irreparable damage from the epstein files back home are thinking of their ped-otus as they salute and obey a man who couldn’t give 1 g** d*** f*** about them or his country only that this war is being driven through blackmail. and that he would rather see the entire world suffer than see a 3 minutes video clip of himself 10 or 20 years ago sodomizing and choking a child on mainstream international networks?…
usa – pretending to not be friends with europeons any more whilst making excessive use of europeon airspace and airbases. a classic, so to doublespeak.
nope, very wrong! europe is a colonized land, after ussr dissolution, the usa empire disguised themselves into nato, never abandoned germany, instead usa empire and british lackeys were pushing to the east disguised again in the shadows of nato. war never ended after world war 2, they only paused and now they want to resume. france degaulle were put there by the usa empire generals.
the empire is run by banking dynasties and the insane desire to rule
busy, busy, busy. no matter the stupidity displayed.
steve witkoff and jared kushner both zionists, strange coincidence.