US deploys F-22 Raptors to Middle East

The US Central Command has announced the deployment of Air Force F-22 Raptors to the Middle East to "address threats posed by Iran and Iranian-backed groups" against Israel and American forces in the region.

This move follows the Pentagon's decision to increase US military presence after Iran vowed to avenge the January 30 assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

Haniyeh was killed by a bomb smuggled into the Tehran residence where he was staying. Iran has accused Israel of carrying out the attack, though Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility.

Iran's promised retaliation could involve both direct strikes from its territory and indirect attacks through proxy forces. Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon and the Lebanese border with Israel, may also initiate attacks. In recent weeks, U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have come under rocket fire from Iranian-aligned militias operating in those countries.

The F-22s, the most advanced fighter aircraft in the US arsenal, are part of a rapid deployment of fresh military forces to the Middle East, including US warships equipped to intercept ballistic missiles. The US may also enhance land-based ballistic missile defenses in the region.

According to US officials, approximately a dozen F-22s arrived at a base in the Middle East from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. The jets covered more than 5,600 nautical miles, traveling across North America and the Atlantic Ocean, with a stop at RAF Lakenheath in the UK before continuing across the Mediterranean Sea. They reached their temporary base in the region on August 8, aided by tanker aircraft.

Due to operational security concerns, a spokesperson for Air Forces Central (AFCENT) declined to disclose the exact location of the F-22s or any other US fighter aircraft in the region.

This additional military firepower is intended to deter or counter potential attacks from Iran and its proxies against Israel and to enhance the defense of US troops stationed in the area.