America sent invisible hunters to Israel. Their target is clear

Sending F-22 Raptor fighters this week will allow the US to better protect Israeli territory and US forces in the Middle East from possible Iranian retaliation if US President Donald Trump carries out his threats to attack Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. At the same time, the F-22 gives Washington the ability to conduct offensive operations.

USA is there moreć sent Army soldiers to operate the Thaad anti-missile system, and previously kept destroyers equipped with ballistic missile defense systems near Israel to protect the country from missile and drone attacks.

Taken together, these moves mark a major change in the American military approach after the so-called Abraham’s agreements from the first term of Donald Trump, which led to the normalization of Israel’s relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other countries.

“This is the first such case”

For decades before those agreements, American forces in the Middle East sought to avoid the impression that they were closely integrated with the Israeli military.

“Operating aircraft from Israeli bases is the first such case,” said Dennis Ross, a former senior US official who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations.

The Trump administration did not officially announce the dispatch of the planes, and the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US forces in the region, declined to comment. However, footage of the plane’s arrival in Israel began to appear on social media on Tuesday, according to the WSJ.

The F-22 deployment comes at a time when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have said they will not allow the US to use their airspace or territory to attack Iran, limiting Washington’s ability to deploy the hundreds of aircraft needed for a major operation.

US officials say that the use of Israeli air bases will allow the US to deploy its planes to more locations, instead of having all of its air power. concentrates on several regional airports. Many of the US aircraft sent to the region as Trump pressures Tehran to agree to the nuclear deal are currently based at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Last year, F-22s escorted B-2 bombers during attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.