American war planes are being redeployed from the United States to European bases, the first step before they’re sent to the Middle East for a possible conflict with Iran, according to multiple sources familiar with the move.
“The U.S. Air Force deployed at least 30 aerial refueling aircraft to Europe this week after the exchange of airstrikes between Israel and Iran unleashed a fresh wave of turmoil in the Middle East.,” The Independent reports.
“The planes, mostly KC-46A Pegasus and KC-135 Stratotankers, were spotted on the flight tracking website FlightRadar24 and others departing from airfields across the continental United States and heading east over the Atlantic towards Europe.”
“The craft have reportedly since arrived at a number of strategic locations, including Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Morón Air Base and NAS Rota in Spain, Aviano Air Base in Italy, Prestwick International Airport in the U.K., and Souda Bay in Greece.”
Other military reporters also flagged the aircraft movement on social media.
According to Reuters, the U.S. aircraft are indeed part of a larger mission in the Middle East.
“The U.S. military has moved a large number of refueling aircraft to Europe to provide options to President Donald Trump as Middle East tensions erupt into conflict between Iran and Israel, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.”
“The officials also said the U.S. aircraft carrier Nimitz was heading to the Middle East, in what one of them said was a pre-planned deployment. The Nimitz can hold 5,000 personnel and more than 60 aircraft, including fighter jets.”
“Taken together, the deployments, which were first reported by Reuters, suggest the United States is greatly strengthening its air power for potentially sustained operations as Iran and Israel trade blows in unprecedented open warfare.”
You may recall that Donald Trump decried American involvement in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but he now appears eager to involve the United States in what is possibly the most intractable conflict on the planet. If he does, none of this will end well for anyone.
