The Largest Since the Iraq Invasion: Washington Continues to Strengthen Its Military Presence in the Middle East

SadaNews - Open-source intelligence data and analyses have shown that the United States has raised its military presence in the Middle East to its highest level since the Iraq invasion in 2003, in what is interpreted as the broadest defensive and aerial reinforcement since then, amidst escalating tensions with Iran.

Military flight tracking platforms and activists reported that U.S. air support includes the deployment of dozens of fighter jets and airborne warning and control aircraft, according to a report from "Anadolu" today, Sunday.

According to open-source data, 12 F-22 aircraft arrived at the Royal Air Force Lakenheath base in England, after departing from Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, USA, and crossing the Atlantic Ocean, in preparation for their deployment to the Middle East.

The military activity in the region has also reflected on platforms tracking civil air traffic.

According to data from the flight tracking company "Flight Radar", most of the flights that received the highest amount of tracking globally last week belonged to the U.S. Air Force.

The movements also indicate a noticeable increase in air refueling operations for U.S. Air Force aircraft over the eastern Mediterranean, which was viewed as an indicator of accelerated operational activity in the region.

The United States has also directed the U.S. aircraft carrier "USS Gerald Ford", the largest aircraft carrier in the world, to the Mediterranean waters in a move that strengthens the U.S. naval presence in the region.

Political science professor specializing in security at the University of Chicago, Robert Pape, stated that U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft provide air support, adding: "As experts know, logistics are essential in war."

Pape estimated in a post on the platform "X", that "the United States has amassed the largest air military force in the Middle East since the Iraq invasion in 2003."

This buildup is considered a message to pressure Tehran during the Geneva negotiations regarding its nuclear file, while Washington claims that the enhancement of its presence is aimed at deterring "potential regional instability."

For weeks, the United States, under Israeli provocation, has been strengthening its military forces in the Middle East and threatening to carry out military action against Iran, to force it to abandon its nuclear and missile programs and its "proxies in the region."

Tehran believes that Washington and Tel Aviv are fabricating pretexts for intervention and regime change, and has vowed to respond to any military attack, even if limited, while insisting on lifting Western economic sanctions in exchange for imposing restrictions on its nuclear program.