USAF flies B-52 bombers to the Middle East to launch 13 cruise missiles against military targets in Iraq under Operation Desert Strike, which is in response to Iraqi troops’ seizure of the city of Irbil, located in a zone protected by the US for Kurds in northern Iraq.
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.