Aircraft would join B-52 bombers, THAAD air defense system deployed in past month to counter threatened assault; Baghdad pushes back on reports strike will come from Iraq
The United States appears to be reinforcing its presence in the Middle East ahead of an expected Iranian attack on Israel, with flight tracking sites showing American F-15E aircraft en route to Jordan Thursday.
According to the Haaretz daily, at least 12 aircraft are on their way to the region, joining fighter jets already deployed in the area. There has been no formal announcement of the deployment from the US military.
The aircraft would join the B-52 Stratofortress bombers, tanker aircraft and Navy destroyers that US Defense Lloyd Austin ordered to deploy to the Middle East earlier this week, as well as the advanced THAAD, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, system to that the US
rushed to Israel last month.
The anti-missile system is a critical part of the US military’s layered air defense systems and adds to Israel’s already formidable anti-missile defenses amid indications of an imminent Iranian response to Israel’s recent retaliatory strike.
According to two Israeli sources cited in Axios, Israeli intelligence has indicated Iran would launch its attack as soon as this week from Iraq, where the Islamic Republic sustains militias that are part of its “Axis of Resistance” against Israel.
Washington has warned Baghdad of an Israeli reprisal if the Iranian attack were to come from Iraq, the news site
reported Wednesday, citing two US officials.
Baghdad’s military on Wednesday pushed back on the reports, saying they were “false pretexts” aimed at justifying aggression against Iraq.
Iran has vowed a “punishing” reprisal to Israel’s October 26 airstrikes, which Jerusalem said took out the Islamic Republic’s air defenses and missile production capabilities.