US aircraft Aug. 19-21 took out dozens of ISIS fighting positions in Sirte, Libya, paving the way for an advance into the city. At the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord, US aircraft struck 25 ISIS fighting positions and two trucks over three days, US Africa Command announced. The strike brings the total in Operation Odyssey Lightning to 74 since Aug. 1. Libyan forces said on Sunday it has advanced further into the city—the last remaining stronghold of the group inside the country—reclaiming a prison ran by ISIS’ “morality police” and a mosque, Reuters reported.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.