/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/P5ILWRK3J5JTPP6NIVPY7Y7P7U.jpg)
F-22s from the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton deploy to the Middle East
US officials declined to say how many F-22s have been deployed or the number of airmen supporting the plane, citing operational security.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — US F-22 fighter jets arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, as part of a US defense response to recent missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting the country.
The Raptors landed at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, which hosts some 2,000 US troops. US soldiers launched Patriot interceptor missiles there in response to Houthi attacks last month, the first time US troops have fired the system in combat since the US invaded Iraq in 2003.
US officials declined to say how many F-22s have been deployed or the number of airmen supporting the plane, citing operational security. However, they identified the unit involved as the 1st Fighter Wing, located at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. A photo later released by the Air Force showed six F-22s lined up on a taxiway in Al-Dhafra.
“The presence of the Raptors will bolster the partner nation’s already strong defenses and serve as a warning to destabilizing forces that the United States and our partners are committed to enabling peace and stability in the region,” said Lt. Gen. Greg Guillot, commander of the United States Air Force. Middle East Command, said in a statement.
The deployment comes after the Iran-backed Houthis launched three attacks on Abu Dhabi last month, including one targeting a fuel depot that killed three people and injured six. The attacks coincided with visits by the presidents of South Korea and Israel to the country.
A shadowy Iraqi group claimed to have launched a drone attack targeting the Emirates in early February, although authorities say they intercepted them.
Although overshadowed by the Ukraine crisis, the missile launch targeting the Emirates sparked a major American reaction. The US military sent the USS Cole on a mission to Abu Dhabi.
The spillover of Yemen’s long war into the United Arab Emirates puts US troops in the crosshairs of Houthi attacks – and raises the risk of a regional escalation at a crucial moment in talks in Vienna to potentially restore the nuclear deal of Iran with world powers.
