Amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States, and a massive military buildup by the latter in the Middle East, the Trump administration sent a group of F-22 Raptor jets to Israel on Tuesday, the New York Times has reported.
This development, confirmed to the newspaper by a US official familiar with the development, comes just two days ahead of the third round of talks between the two countries, being held today in Geneva.
Flight tracking data and videos have been investigated to establish this first known deployment of this type of aircraft, considered to be the most advanced of the US fighter jets. The videos, captured by plane spotters, show a dozen F-22s taking off from their temporary station in Britain and moving towards the Middle East.
A US official privy to the development confirmed to NYT, on the condition of anonymity, that these jets were being sent to Israel. “Some had already arrived,” the official said.
Also Read: US-Iran Talks Begin In Geneva Today: War To Break Or Truce In Sight? What We Know So Far
Why The Move Is Significant?
“A significant development,” Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, who is retired from the Air Force and serves as the dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in Washington, told NYT. “It indicates preparation for a more aggressive stance toward Iran and a potential cooperation with Israel in an attack."
The cooperation between Israel and the US, in case of an attack on Iran, has been pointed towards by multiple media reports that have been published over the last week. Some major media houses quoted White House officials saying that the war was going to be far greater than the Israeli strikes on Iran last June.
The might of the F-22s is something the world is not aware of. The Air Force says the aircraft cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft. It can attack targets in the air and on the ground.
The talks between Iran and the United States in Geneva have meanwhile been going on. Tehran has maintained that its proposal for the talks is focused mainly on lifting US sanctions and dealing with the US concerns, while rejecting the dismantling of nuclear facilities.
“Our proposal for a solution includes technical and practical tracks, and data that prove we do not want a nuclear weapon,” an Iranian official was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera, adding that Uranium enrichment was Tehran's sovereign right.
The US has amassed a massive military buildup in the region, even as Trump has been quite assertive about military action against Iran in case a deal is not made. Tehran, meanwhile, has remained defiant and has said it will take any military action, including limited strikes, as an “act of aggression” while maintaining that the acts of aggression will be met with the force that is befitting the response of a sovereign nation.
Also Read: US Levels New Sanctions On Iran's Missile Program, Shadow Fleet
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