The US government has sent at least 80 military cargo planes and dozens of leased civilian aircraft to Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus since the start of the Gaza-Israel war on 7 October.
According to open-source information reviewed by Israeli daily Haaretz, over the past two weeks, at least eight heavy-cargo planes that set off from supply depots in the US and Europe have landed at a Jordanian airbase. Moreover, two fighter squadrons of F-15E fighter jets and A-10 attack planes have also been deployed to the Hashemite kingdom.
In Cyprus, Washington has delivered large quantities of weapons and equipment to UK troops stationed at a British Air Force base, with at least 20 heavy-transport aircraft reportedly landing in the island nation over recent days.
In the days following the start of the Gaza-Israel war, the UK sent surveillance aircraft, two Royal Navy support ships, and 100 Royal Marines to the Eastern Mediterranean. Furthermore, Germany and the Netherlands have also deployed special forces units to Cyprus.
But most US arms shipments have headed directly to Israel, as the country has received thousands of tons of advanced armament, munitions, Iron Dome batteries, and armored vehicles, among other types of aid.
Moreover, Washington has deployed at least nine US warships to the Eastern Mediterranean to support Israel the moment a regional war breaks out. These ships include the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group, currently operating off the coast of Cyprus and which has onboard about 80 attack, electronic warfare, and intelligence aircraft.
The US announced on Sunday that it was deploying a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD battery) to intercept ballistic missiles and additional Patriot missile systems to West Asia. Washington had already deployed several air defense systems and ground reinforcements to US occupation bases in Syria over the past year.
As Israel continues to struggle to launch its ground offensive into the Gaza Strip – and faces the looming threat of Hezbollah in the north – the US this week also took control of the Elefsina air base near the Greek capital Athens, as the US military base on the Greek island of Crete is already at “full capacity.”
The massive buildup of US arsenal and troops near Israel comes when western arms manufacturers have already been stretched thin, arming Ukraine and Taiwan to wage war against Russia and China.