The United States sent a group of F-22 Raptor jets to Israel on Tuesday, a U.S. official and a person familiar with the deployment said. The move continued the U.S. military buildup in the Middle East and came two days before the next round of negotiations with Iran about its nuclear program was expected.
Flight tracking data and videos show what appears to be the first known deployment of this type of aircraft, one of the most advanced U.S. fighter jets, during the escalating tensions with Iran. Videos and photos captured by plane spotters show a dozen F-22s taking off from their temporary station in Britain.
The U.S. officials said on Tuesday evening that F-22 fighters were being sent to Israel and that some had already arrived. The official and the person familiar with the deployment spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive military maneuvers.
While the jets did not show up on public flight-tracking websites — attack aircraft usually do not — there were other indications that they had flown toward the Middle East. Data reviewed by The New York Times confirmed that refueling tankers, which had left Britain with the F-22s, flew over the Mediterranean on Tuesday afternoon.
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, said on Tuesday that the F-22 deployment to Israel was significant.
“It indicates preparation for a more aggressive stance toward Iran and potential cooperation with Israel in an attack,” General Deptula said in an email. “It signals that the U.S. is serious about attacking if Iran does not agree to U.S. terms.”
The F-22, which the Air Force says “cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft,” is an advanced stealth fighter jet that can attack targets in the air and on the ground. During the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last June, F-22s joined the U.S. long-range bombers that entered Iranian airspace.
Several of these jets had recently moved from the United States to Royal Air Force Lakenheath, a base in England, according to verified videos, photos and publicly available flight-tracking data. They took off from Lakenheath early Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by several refueling tankers from a nearby base. One F-22 jet returned to Lakenheath later that day.
The huge U.S. military buildup in the region already included two aircraft carrier strike groups, as well as more than 60 fighter jets stationed at a base in Jordan.
Christoph Koettl is a Times reporter on the Visual Investigations team.
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