[IsraelTimes] The United States appears to be reinforcing its presence in the Middle East ahead of an expected Iranian attack on Israel, with the American military confirming Thursday that F-15 fighter planes have arrived in the region.
“Today, US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles from the 492nd Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, England, arrive in the US Central Command area of responsibility,” the military command responsible for the Middle East said on social media.
The aircraft join the B-52 Stratofortress bombers, tanker aircraft and Navy destroyers that US Defense Lloyd Austin ordered to deploy to the Middle East earlier this week, as well as the advanced THAAD, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, system to that the US rushed to Israel last month.
The anti-missile system is a critical part of the US military’s layered air defense systems and adds to Israel’s already formidable anti-missile defenses amid indications of an imminent Iranian response to Israel’s recent retaliatory strike.
On Thursday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran’s network of terror proxies remained strong despite the killing of many of their senior leaders.
The “leaders of the resistance” are “still fighting,” he said, according to a report on Iran’s state television.
“God willing, the world will see a day when the Zionist regime will be defeated by them,” he added, referring to Israel.
The October 1 attack was Iran’s second-ever direct attack on Israel, having launched some 300 missiles and drones at Israel in April, after a decades-long shadow war.
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