US is strengthening its air defense in the Middle East

An aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln has already been deployed to the region, and F-35 and F-15E fighter jets are being moved closer to the potential combat zone, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Trump has not yet decided whether he will use force and how exactly. But US airstrikes on Iran are not inevitable, US officials say, as the Pentagon deploys additional air defense assets to better protect Israel, Arab allies, and US troops in the event of a retaliatory strike by Iran and a potential prolonged conflict.

The US military could launch limited air strikes against Iran if Trump orders an attack today. They predict that such actions are likely to provoke a mirror response from Iran, which would require the US to have powerful air defense capabilities.

Thus, the Pentagon is focusing on air defense, deploying additional THAAD batteries and Patriot systems at military bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

American destroyers with missile defense capabilities capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and drones are already in the region. Some of the ships are patrolling near the Strait of Hormuz, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the eastern Mediterranean.

Photo: operativmm.az.