US
US appears to be significantly increasing its military presence in the Middle East
The United States appears to be significantly increasing its military presence in the Middle East with the deployment of highly sophisticated aircraft and a second aircraft carrier to the region.
In recent days, at least five B-2 stealth bombers have deployed to Diego Garcia, a British military base used by the US in the Indian Ocean. More are reportedly en route.
Map: OpenStreetMap
Seven C17 aircraft have also been tracked landing on the remote atoll, suggesting transportation of equipment, personnel and supplies, and refuelling aircraft have been repositioned to strategic locations.
The Pentagon recently ordered the USS Harry S Truman carrier strike group to extend its deployment in the Red Sea by a month, and a second strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, is heading for the Middle East.
The USS Harry S Truman carrier strike group was told to extend its Red Sea deployment by a month. File pic: Reuters
Both groups have support ships, including destroyers, as part of the group.
The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group is also heading for the Middle East. File pic: Reuters
It is an unusual surge in military assets and an indication, perhaps, that the US is planning heavy strikes on the Houthis in Yemen and possibly looking to send a strong message to Iran.
The Houthis, an Islamist group that controls a large part of Yemen, including the capital Sana’a, have repeatedly attacked Red Sea shipping and Israel during the war in Gaza.
Those attacks stopped while the ceasefire was in force but have restarted following a resumption of Israeli military operations in Gaza.
The Houthis have vowed to strike Israel’s Ben Gurion airport and have fired ballistic missiles towards Israel on an almost daily basis in recent weeks, triggering air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
They claimed to have launched drones at Israel on Tuesday night, but the Israeli military hasn’t confirmed that.
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The Trump administration has launched attacks against the Houthis to restore freedom of shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial waterway for global commerce as it’s linked to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal.
The first wave of those attacks was the subject of a major security breach when a journalist was mistakenly included in discussions between senior US government personnel on the messaging app Signal.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has promised to continue striking the Houthis for as long as it takes, and President Trump has warned Iran he might be forced to take military action against their nuclear facilities if Tehran doesn’t agree to talks.