US Deploying More F-16s and F-35 Fighter Jets to Middle East Amid Iran Strikes
The United States is sending F-16 and F-35 fighter jets along with aerial refueling aircraft to the Middle East. President Trump had already signaled plans to escalate strikes on Iranian infrastructure, and some refueling aircraft are expected to be stationed at Israel. , World News, Times Now
World NewsEdited by:Sagar KarUpdated Jul 20, 2026, 01:17 ISTThe United States is sending F-16 and F-35 fighter jets along with aerial refueling aircraft to the Middle East. President Trump had already signaled plans to escalate strikes on Iranian infrastructure, and some refueling aircraft are expected to be stationed at Israel. A U. S. Marine Corps F-35C stealth fighter prepares to take off from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the Arabian Sea. (Image: X/@CENTCOM)The United States is moving additional fighter jets and support aircraft into the Middle East, a development that suggests the Trump administration could be preparing to widen its military campaign against Iran. American officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss operational details publicly, told the New York Times that Air Force F-16 fighter jets are being sent from Germany, while stealthy F-35 jets are being deployed from Britain. Additionalaerial refueling aircraft are also on their way to the region. US Central Command, the military branch responsible for overseeing operations in the Middle East, declined to comment when asked about the deployments, as per the report. Timing Tied to a Deadly Attack in Jordan?According to the report, the decision to redeploy these aircraft had already been made before Friday's attack by Iran, which killed two US Army soldiers and left another service member missing in Jordan. Many others were also injured in that strike. That attack was part of a broader pattern of strikes and retaliatory strikes that had been building over the previous week. In response, the United States launched its own counterattack, which the military described as an effort to swiftly punish forces linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Meanwhile, today, the CENTCOM announced that another US service member was killed in action, this time in Iraq. "A U. S. service member in northern Iraq was killed in action July 18 during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. A second service member was wounded and continues to receive medical treatment for a minor injury," the statement read. Trump Had Already Signaled a Bigger ResponseEven before Friday's deadly attack, President Trump had indicated plans to ramp up strikes on Iran in the days ahead. The publication reported that Trump intended to target more of Iran's infrastructure, including bridges, electrical power plants, and power distribution systems. It remains unclear exactly where all of the incoming warplanes will ultimately be based. However, an Israeli military official, also speaking anonymously, told the publication on Saturday that the United States had decided to station some of the additional aerial refueling aircraft at Israeli Air Force bases. Sagar KarauthorSagar is a journalist with an interest primarily in geopolitics and American domestic politics. Before joining Times Now, he wrote for Republic and Sw. . . View MoreNewsWorld NewsEnd of Article