Two U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles conducted an airstrike in eastern Syria in response to escalating attacks against U.S. forces by Iranian-backed groups, the Defense Department said Nov. 8. The target was a weapons storage facility used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ...
Middle East
The U.S. has been flying MQ-9 drones over Gaza as Washington is trying to gather information about American and other hostages held by Hamas and other militants there. The flights, which the Pentagon acknowledged Nov. 3, began after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that ...
U.S. troops have been attacked by Iranian-backed militias at least 23 times in less than two weeks, Pentagon officials said Oct. 30, providing the most comprehensive account of the American military’s recent confrontation with Tehran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria. Several of the militia attacks took ...
The U.S. Air Force continues to bolster its forces in the Middle East after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, as F-15Es from RAF Lakenheath, U.K., arrived in the region Oct. 13.
U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancer bombers fired advanced munitions in a live-fire exercise in the Middle East, the latest display of American muscle in the region. Two B-1s took off from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom on June 7 and released precision munitions—JDAM guided ...
The Department of Defense's senior policy official laid out the Biden administration’s security strategy for the Middle East. In a speech in Bahrain, Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense for policy, said the U.S. is still committed to the region despite a shift in its security focus ...
The Pentagon is reportedly planning to draw down the number of fighter squadrons in the Middle East while also withdrawing missile defense systems as part of a broad shift in the U.S. military’s force posture in the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III informed ...
U.S. Central Command and American diplomats are working with nations surrounding Afghanistan on agreements to base troops and aircraft for counter terrorism inside the country following the military’s withdrawal. CENTCOM boss Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee on ...
The Pentagon has changed the combatant command responsible for operations involving Israel, from U.S. European Command to U.S. Central Command, following White House-brokered accords between the country and multiple Persian Gulf states. The update to the Unified Command Plan came as the Trump administration finished ...
Iraqi forces have shown their ability to maintain security, enabling the U.S. drawdown in the country despite increased attacks from Iranian proxies and an Islamic State group focused on rebuilding its caliphate, the head of U.S. forces in the region said Nov. 19. “The progress ...
The drama of the twin Georgia Senate runoff elections looming in January could seep into negotiations over the 2021 defense policy bill, a key GOP lawmaker warned Nov. 17. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), who is retiring this term as ranking member of the House Armed ...
F-35As and Airmen from the 421st Fighter Squadron returned home to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, within the past week after a six-month deployment for combat operations in the Middle East. The 421st was the third Hill squadron in a row to be tasked with ...