The U.S. military is sending additional fighter jets to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other aircraft, strengthening its forces in the region amid the ongoing war between Israel and Iran, according to three U.S. officials.
One of the officials said the deployments include F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter aircraft, News.Az reports citing Reuters.
Two of the officials stressed the defensive nature of the deployment of fighter aircraft, which have been used to shoot down drones and projectiles.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reuters was first to report on Monday the movement of a large number of tanker aircraft to Europe as well as the deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Middle East, providing options to President Donald Trump as Middle East tensions soar.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the deployments as defensive in nature, as Washington looks to safeguard forces in the Middle East from potential blowback from Iran and Iran-aligned forces in the region.
A fourth U.S. defense official on Tuesday raised the possibility of the deployment to the Eastern Mediterranean of additional U.S. Navy warships capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.
