U.S. Deploys F-22s to Israel as Iran Tries To Intimidate Washington’s Arab Partners

In an extraordinary development, the United States deployed up to 12 F-22 fighter aircraft to Israel’s southern Ovda airbase this week after several of America’s Arab partners suggested they would restrict the U.S. military’s use of their territory for potential strikes on Iran. The deployment reportedly represents the first time U.S. F-22s have been positioned in Israel in anticipation of real-world combat operations.

The United States frequently conducts combat operations in the Middle East using U.S. Air Force fighter jets operating from bases in Arab partner countries. However, several of those partners, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, have stated or suggested that they would not permit the United States to use their airspace or bases in their countries to conduct strikes on Iran. Some partners made their announcements after conversations with senior Iranian officials, and Arab partner decisions could complicate U.S. military planning and operations.   

U.S. Surges Combat Power to the Middle East

America’s military power in the region has been boosted in recent weeks after Iran’s leaders ignored warnings from President Donald Trump and slaughtered tens of thousands of anti-regime protestors.

The exceptional military buildup now underway includes the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups, as well as F-15, F-16, F-22, F-35, and A-10 aircraft, in addition to air refueling and reconnaissance aircraft. Some of these aircraft were sent to Saudi Arabia and Jordan, suggesting that the declarations from Riyadh and Amman denying permission are more political posturing for consumption in Tehran than a reality  American military planners must address.

The F-22s now in Israel, widely viewed as one of the best fighter jets in the world, can conduct air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The aircraft’s “low-observable qualities” make it more difficult to detect and better able to operate in high threat environments. In the June 2025 12-Day War with Iran, during the U.S. operation dubbed Midnight Hammer, F-22s escorted the B-2 bombers that conducted strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, reportedly helping to suppress and defeat Iranian air defenses.

Stationing F-22s in Israel, however, still leaves them far from Iran. That may help explain reports of a half dozen KC-46 and KC-135 refueling aircraft converging on Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport. Additionally, F-22s flying from Israel would have to traverse over Syria, Iraq, Jordan and/or Saudi Arabia to avoid a long, circuitous route.

A Disconnect Between Words and Deeds

Arab countries that have declared their airspace and/or territory cannot be used for strikes on Iran may have undercut U.S. leverage at the negotiating table, emboldening Iranian negotiators who have proven predictably intransigent on core American demands. This is particularly striking given that Jordan and Qatar are Major Non-NATO Allies. The Trump administration recently granted the same designation to Saudi Arabia and named the United Arab Emirates a “Major Defense Partner.”

While America’s Arab partners covet such titles and their associated benefits, even as they worry about retaliation from Iran, Israel has been busy delivering blows to the Tehran regime. Israel has worked closely with the United States to take the fight to Tehran in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist assault. In its 2026 National Defense Strategy, the Trump Administration named Israel a “model ally” that has achieved “historic operational and strategic successes,” weakening Iran and “severely” degrading Tehran’s terror proxy network.

U.S. May Have To Reassess Defense Posture in Middle East

Tehran’s negotiators will seek to dupe their Trump administration counterparts, attempting to cloak a bad deal in the guise of a major win for President Trump. A good deal would end Iran’s nuclear program, including all nuclear enrichment, address its ballistic missile program, and end Tehran’s support for its terrorist proxies.

Crises can sometimes reveal the true nature of friendships. If Arab partners must issue public statements for political purposes, that is one thing. However, if they actually follow through on those statements and restrict U.S. military activities despite defense assurances from the Trump administration, then the Pentagon may need to reassess and shift its military posture in the Middle East.  

Bradley Bowmanis senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Justin Leopold-Cohen is a senior research analyst at CMPP. For more analysis from the authors and CMPP, please subscribe HERE. Follow Bradley on X @Brad_L_Bowmanand Justin on X @jleopoldcohen. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_CMPP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.