Three more U.S. Air Force squadrons are being deployed to the CENTCOM AOR as Iran threatened and launched a massive attack on Israel with ballistic missiles.
The U.S. Department of Defense has announced that it is further reinforcing the Middle East defense posture by deploying three additional U.S. Air Force squadrons and ordering the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to remain in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of operations. The measures are meant to deter aggression and mitigate the risk of a broader regional conflict, said the Pentagon, as the already high tensions in the area have heightened even more following Israel’s targeted assassination of terror group Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon.
U.S. officials mentioned threats by Iran of an imminent attack on Israel with ballistic missiles just few hours after announcing the posture’s reinforcement. As a matter of fact, the attack was indeed launched in the evening of Oct. 1, 2024, and is now in progress as we write this article, with unconfirmed reports of 250 to 300 missiles involved. We will publish soon an article with all the relevant information.
“Secretary Austin stressed that the United States is determined to prevent Iran and Iranian-backed partners and proxies from exploiting the situation or expanding the conflict,” read a statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. “Austin made clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every necessary measure to defend our people.”
CENTCOM specified that an F-15E, an F-16C and A-10C squadrons are being deployed, with one already arrived in the area. In fact, the A-10s were already on their way to the Middle East well before the announcement, with a first cell of aircraft arriving at Naval Air Station Rota, Spain, for a stop-over. According to the tail flashes, the aircraft are assigned to the 74th Fighter Squadron from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
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First Cell of 6 FT USAF A-10 Warthogs landing with very little light left at NAS Rota on their way to deployment in the Middle East✈️📸#aviation #avgeek #avgeeks #aviationphotography #planespotting #aviationdaily #haveglass @scan_sky @Andy007_SR_A @air_intel @MilRadar pic.twitter.com/kB4oKFO1Jo
— Daniel Ferro (@Gibdan1) September 23, 2024
The squadrons being deployed now will join the others already in the area, including F-16s of the 510th FS from Aviano Air Base, Italy, and F-15Es of the 335th FS from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, first deployed to the region in April, and F-22s of the 90th FS from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, deployed in August.
Another asset already in the area is the USS Wasp with its Wasp Amphibious Ready Group which includes the amphibious ships USS New York and USS Oak Hill and the embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC). The USS Wasp currently embarks AV-8B Harrier attack jets, MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors, UH-1Y Venom, AH-1Z Viper and MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters.
The measures DOD is taking include ordering the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to remain in the U.S. Central Command area of operations past its regular rotation date; reinforcement of U.S. air defense capabilities; and using U.S. forces rotating into the region to augment rather than replace forces already there, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told the media.
The situation
The U.S. DOD said it’s continuing to monitor the situation in the Middle East, focused on the protection of U.S. citizens and forces in the region, the defense of Israel and the de-escalation of the situation through deterrence and diplomacy. Secretary Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, making it clear that the U.S. supports Israel’s right to defend itself and the necessity of dismantling Hezbollah attack infrastructure along the border, while also reaffirming the need for a diplomatic resolution to protect civilians.
“I made clear that the United States is well-postured to defend U.S. personnel, partners, and allies in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations and determined to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict,” added Austin. “I reiterated the serious consequences for Iran in the event Iran chooses to launch a direct military attack against Israel.”
After the Israeli Air Force employed its F-15I Ra’am jets equipped with GPS-aided GBU-31(V)3/B JDAM bunker-buster bombs in a precision strike targeting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sept. 27, 2024, the tensions with Iran once again. Similarly to this summer, while there are attempts to de-escalate the situation, both sides are still continuing with their rhetoric, showing no willingness to back up on their plans.
The airstrike, part of Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Hezbollah, is a major escalation in the regional conflict that has paralleled the war against Hamas in Gaza. Nasrallah’s death was confirmed by Hezbollah and has left the Iran-backed group reeling, with Iran threatening to “imminently” launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, according to U.S. officials.
As we mentioned in the opening of this article, this time Iran did not wait before its retaliation and has indeed launched the attack in the evening of Oct. 1, 2024. The attack is now in progress as we write this article, with unconfirmed reports of 250 to 300 missiles involved. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has reportedly said Iran’s Supreme National Security Council approved the decision to target Israel.
