US-led coalition aircraft continued to target oil infrastructure held by ISIS, with weekend airstrikes destroying 83 oil tankers in Syria. The coalition has continually hit the oil infrastructure in an attempt to disrupt the money-making system in Syria that ISIS uses to fund its operation. The operation, called Tidal Wave II, has halved the group’s total revenue, US officials have said. In addition to the airstrikes on the tankers near Abu Kamal, coalition aircraft hit ISIS tactical units, fighting positions near Manbij and Mar’a, US Central Command announced. Aircraft in Iraq targeted ISIS headquarters buildings in Mosul and Sultan Abdallah, among several other targets. (See also: Obliterating Oil Operations, Coalition Targeting ISIS’s Oil)
Kadena Adds Second Batch of F-35s to Its Fighter Rotation
April 25, 2025
The Air Force deployed a second group of F-35s to Kadena Air Base this month, reinforcing its fighter presence at the key base in the wake of retiring all operational F-15C Eagles from the installation. The stealthy jets and Airmen from the 421st Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the “Black Widows” out…