The United States will send F-16 fighter jets to protect ships from Iranian seizures in the Gulf region, a senior defense official said on Friday, admitting he is growing concerned about growing ties between Iran, Russia and Syria. in the Middle East.
Speaking to Pentagon reporters, the official said the United States will send F-16 fighter jets to the Gulf region this weekend to supplement A-10 attack jets that have been patrolling there for more than a week. The move comes after Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the strait last week, even going so far as to fire on one of them.
The defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details on military operations in the region, said the F-16s will provide air cover for ships traversing the waterway and increase military visibility in the area as an element. deterrent to Iran.
The US Navy claimed that in both cases the Iranian naval vessels turned back when the USS McFaul, a guided missile destroyer, arrived on the scene.
In addition, the defense official told reporters that the United States is considering various military options to address escalating Russian aggression in the skies over Syria, which has complicated efforts to attack a leader of the Islamic State group last weekend. . The official declined to detail the options, but said the United States will not cede any territory and will continue to fly in the western part of the country on missions against Islamic State.
Russian military activity, which has increased in frequency and aggressiveness since March, is due to increasing cooperation and coordination between Moscow, Tehran and the Syrian government to pressure the United States to leave Syria, the official said.
The official said Russia is obligated to Iran for its support in the Ukraine war, and Tehran wants the United States out of Syria so it can more easily move lethal aid to Lebanese Hezbollah and threaten Israel. The official added that the United States has observed increased cooperation, collaboration, planning and intelligence sharing, mostly between mid-level leaders of the Russian and Iranian Quds Forces in Syria, with the aim of pressuring the United States to withdraw its Syrian troops.
There are currently about 900 US forces in the country, with others flowing in and out to carry out missions aimed at fighting the Islamic State group militants.
The United States does not believe that the Russian planes plan to bomb American troops or shoot down manned aircraft. However, there are concerns that Russian pilots would shoot down a Reaper drone and that Moscow believes such an action will not receive a strong US military response, the official said.
As an example, in March, a Russian warplane dumped jet fuel on a US surveillance drone and then struck its propeller, forcing US military forces to drop the MQ-9 Reaper into the Black Sea. The incident raised tensions between the two countries and prompted a call between their defense chiefs, but no direct military response.
Last week, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, head of Russia’s Reconciliation Center for Syria, claimed that the Russian and Syrian militaries have been conducting joint training. In remarks carried by Syrian state media, he said Moscow is concerned about the drone flights carried out by the US-led coalition over northern Syria, calling them “systematic violations of protocols” designed to prevent clashes between the two. military.
The most recent incident occurred on Friday morning, when a Russian aircraft repeatedly flew over the at-Tanf garrison in eastern Syria, where US forces are training Syrian allies and monitoring the activity of the Islamic State group. The official said that the Russian An-30 aircraft was collecting intelligence on the base.
The United States had no fighter jets in the area and did not take any direct action against the Russian flight.
[Con información de The Associated Press]
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