F-22 Jets Arrive in the Middle East to Signal US Support for Israel

Stealthy US Air Force F-22 Raptor jets have arrived in the Middle East in a show of force meant to deter Iran and its proxies from attacking Israel following the assassination of a top Hamas leader.

US Central Command announced the arrival in a post on X but didn’t disclose how many jets have been deployed or exactly where they landed in the region. 

The F-22s send a powerful signal to Iran because “they can operate with impunity in Iranian airspace without Iran being aware,” according to retired Lieutenant General David Deptula.“They can perform not just air-to-air operations but can surreptitiously conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and have the capacity to deliver bombs as well.”

This deployment of F-22s marks the first to the Middle East since June 2023, when the planes built by Lockheed Martin Corp. were sent in response to what officials said was more aggressive behavior by Russian aircraft. Earlier last year off the coast of South Carolina, an F-22 shot down a Chinese balloon, which the US said was used for high-altitude surveillance.

The US has ordered more forces closer to Israel amid concerns that Iran will attack the country at any time in response to the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied it was responsible but its officials haven’t pushed back against the claim.

This week, Hamas named Yahya Sinwar, a key mastermind of the group’s Oct. 7 assault on Israel, as its new political leader, the latest blow to multilateral efforts to reach a cease-fire agreement in Gaza.

“This is the biggest crisis deployment of the F-22s” since they went operational in late 2005, according to Rebecca Grant, an airpower analyst with the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Virginia. “Deploying F-22s means this is serious and there’s a chance of big force packages operating in multiple locations and with allies.” 

In addition to flying stealthy ground strikes against “Iranian militia or other targets, as needed,” Grant said, the jet’s data links allow it to coordinate with non-stealthy aircraft for attacks or defensive maneuvers.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.