US moves more military aircraft to the Middle East

The movement was revealed through satellite images and open intelligence reports. According to the agency Reutershigh-resolution satellite images show that the number of US military aircraft at the Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia, which has been used by US forces for decades, rose from 27 on February 17 to 43 last weekend. Among the planes identified were 13 Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker refuelers and six E-3 Sentry airborne early warning aircraft (AWACS). On Wednesday (25), the total had dropped to 38 aircraft.

According to analysts interviewed by the agency, 29 of the aircraft parked at the base on the 21st were large, indicating logistical and operational support mobilization.

Images analyzed by the Turkish agency Anadolu indicate that more than 330 American aircraft are currently positioned under the US Central Command (Centcom), distributed mainly among the Al-Udeid bases in Qatar; Muwaffaq Salti, Jordan; and Prince Sultan, Saudi Arabia.

The mobilized contingent brings together combat and support aircraft, including F-18, F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighters, as well as EA-18G “Growler” electronic warfare aircraft and AWACS electronic surveillance aircraft. Two aircraft carrier groups, the USS Abraham Lincoln and the giant USS Gerald R. Ford, are also in the region.

Washington and Tehran were unable to reach an agreement during negotiations held this Thursday (26), in Geneva, Switzerland. The impasse is still the limitation of the Islamic regime’s nuclear program and control over the ballistic missile program.

President Donald Trump expressed frustration with the progress of the negotiations this Friday (27) and stated that “sometimes it is necessary to use force”, although he said that he has not yet made a final decision on Tehran.

Oman’s Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who is acting as a mediator in the negotiations, stated that progress has been made in the talks and that new technical discussions are scheduled for next week in Vienna. Still, there was no sign of enough progress to reduce the growing military tension.

This Friday, the United States Department of State authorized the departure of non-essential employees and family members from the American diplomatic mission in Israel, according to an official statement from the department.

According to the note, the measure was adopted “due to security risks”, amid growing regional tension. The warning mentions that the situation in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, is “unpredictable” and may involve the firing of rockets, mortars, drones and missiles without prior warning.

According to the newspaper The New York Timesthe US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, instructed via email that employees who wish to leave the country do so “immediately”.