F-15 fighter jets arrived in the Middle East on Thursday, the US military said, a week after Washington said it was deploying more troops to the region as a warning to Iran.

The aircraft – their number was not specified -, which are normally based in England, arrived in the area of ​​responsibility of CENTCOM, the joint command of the US armed forces responsible for the Middle East.

The US Defense Department announced last week that it was sending bombers, fighter jets, in-flight refueling aircraft and ships with anti-aircraft defense systems capable of shooting down ballistic missiles to the Middle East.

“If Iran, its partners or organizations close to it take advantage of this moment to target US (military) personnel or interests in the region,” Washington “will take all necessary measures to defend our people,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

The US is the main international ally of Israel, which has been waging a war in the Gaza Strip against Hamas since October 7, 2023, and against Hezbollah in Lebanon since September 23. Both movements are supported by Iran, a sworn enemy of the Jewish state.

Iran has directly attacked Israel twice this year: in April, in retaliation for the bombing of its consulate in Damascus that it attributed to the Israeli military, and in October, in retaliation for the assassinations of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in airstrike in Beirut as well as Hamas leader Ismail Haniya in Tehran.

Israel’s air force launched a strike against military targets in Iran on October 26, in retaliation for its latest attack, a volley of some 200 rockets fired by the Islamic Republic into Israeli territory on October 1.