Defense Secretary Pete Hegses said the US is “defensively stance” as more fighter and larger aircraft carriers move into the area.
Iran claims that Israeli attacks would not have happened without us
An Iranian spokesman said the attack from Israel would not have happened without US cooperation.
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has shifted fighter and aircraft carriers to the Middle East as the Israeli-Iran conflict continues to rage, but the move was essentially defensive as the US observes, rather than the US taking part in Israel’s punishment campaign, according to US officials.
The moves by the US military were made with an eye to protecting American troops stationed in the Middle East, senior officials said. There are about 40,000 US service members there.
“We are protected as we become more defensively stronger in the region in pursuit of a peace agreement,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegses told Fox News in an interview on June 16th.
Norm Holly R., the second approved US official said the Pentagon was not involved in Israel’s offensive strike against Israel. Iran has been warned that strikes against the US forces will lead to a strong response. Its formula characterized the movement of additional forces into the region as a show of force.
Although US troops are sometimes targeted by Iran, there were signs that the attacks were not continuing, officials said.
The aircraft, which is being moved to the Middle East, includes air refueling tankers from Europe, according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Fighters cover ground troops and equipment, and require refuelers to keep the fighter high.
The US Department of Defense also shifted 21 US-based refueling to Europe to make up for what was sent to the Middle East, US officials said. The move suggests that the war between Israel and Iran can last for some time.
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier is equipped with dozens of fighter jets. US officials said it was about a week away from the Middle East.
The US has already moved another large aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson, into the region in April, to participate in the Trump administration’s strike against Yemen’s Hooty forces.
In May, the B-52 bomber joined the B-2 bomber at Diego Garcia, a naval base off India’s tip, about 2,300 miles from Iran. The B-2 aircraft can carry bunkerbuster bombs that can be used to target Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Meanwhile, US ballistic missile interceptors remain on the ground in Israel and in seas in warships near the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel has created a major dent in Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and its air defense, US officials said.
Israel takes Iran to avoid the iron dome
The ongoing aviation war between Israel and Iran entered the fifth day on June 17th as Israel slammed Iranian cities with bombs and Iranian missiles to avoid Israel’s iron dome defense system.
Iranian state media reported that more than 220 Iranians have been killed and at least 1,200 have been injured since the artillery began. 20 Israelis were killed in an Iranian missile attack, officials said.
A day ago, President Donald Trump hurried off the G7 summit in Canada, citing the escalating crisis in the Middle East. In a true social post, he urged people to “evacuate Tehran soon.”
After French President Emmanuel Macron said that President Trump was on his way to a ceasefire, the US president said in another post, “I don’t know if I’m on my way to Washington right now, but that certainly has nothing to do with the ceasefire. It’s much bigger than that.”
