US officials have reportedly warned several Middle Eastern countries to prepare for possible renewed strikes against Iran following the midterms.
By United with Israel Staff
The United States has sent 10 military transport aircraft to Israeli Air Force bases in southern Israel as Washington and Jerusalem intensify preparations for the possibility of renewed military action against Iran, Kan News reported Thursday evening.
The aircraft landed at the Ovda and Nevatim air bases after departing from Fort Bliss in Texas, home to one of the US military’s largest air defense centers.
Fort Bliss houses air defense batteries and interceptor stocks, raising the possibility that the flights are carrying equipment to replenish Israeli air defense supplies or reinforce the country’s defenses with additional systems, including Patriot batteries.
The flights to Israel are part of a broader American military movement across the Middle East, with US transport aircraft also landing at bases in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The timing is particularly significant.
President Donald Trump has publicly declared that the United States will not launch renewed attacks against Iran before the US midterm elections on November 3, which will take place this coming Tuesday.
Multiple reports have indicated that Washington and Jerusalem have instead been preparing for the possibility of renewed military action after the vote.
US officials have also reportedly warned several Middle Eastern countries to prepare for possible renewed strikes against Iran following the midterms, as well as potential Iranian retaliation against American allies and critical infrastructure in the region.
The Israeli election is also now out of the way.
Israelis went to the polls on October 27 following weeks of speculation over whether another confrontation with Iran could disrupt or even postpone the election. With voting completed, one of the political considerations that had complicated the timing of potential military action has been removed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly signaled support for renewed action against Iran, while Trump said ahead of the Israeli election that the two countries still needed to “finish the job” they began against Tehran.
An Israeli official told Kan News that preparations are continuing despite Trump having made no final decision.
“Israel and the US are in close coordination, and although a decision has not yet been made on the matter, the Americans and Israel are preparing for any decision President Trump makes,” the official said.
Behind the scenes, potential military options are now reaching the highest levels of the US government.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the senior US commander in the Middle East, briefed Trump on military options against Iran on Thursday, alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, according to The Wall Street Journal.
At the same time, the United States is strengthening its ability to defend against an Iranian response.
The US military has reportedly transferred a Patriot missile system from Texas to bolster air defenses in the Gulf, while American forces across the Middle East are replenishing weapons and interceptor stocks.
The preparations do not mean that Trump has decided to order another attack. US officials have continued to stress that no final decision has been made, and military preparations also give Washington additional leverage as it seeks concessions from Tehran.
But the calendar is rapidly changing.
Israel’s election is over. The US midterms are now just days away. And with American aircraft moving equipment into Israel and across the Gulf, air defenses being reinforced and military options being presented directly to Trump, US and Israeli forces are increasingly positioned for whatever comes next.
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