US sends reinforcements to Middle East, tensions with Iran rise

Air Force F-16 aircraft from Germany and secret F-35 planes from Britain are being sent to the Middle East, according to officials, who were not authorised to publicly discuss operational issues.

Additional air supply aircraft are also on the way.

The relocation of the planes was already ordered before an Iranian attack Friday that killed two American soldiers, left another missing service member and injured many others in Jordan.

This attack continued a week-long pattern of attacks and counterattacks, and prompted revenge from the US that the military said was partly to punish the Islamic Revolutionary Guard forces"quickly.

Even before these attacks, US President Donald Trump signaled that he planned to step up attacks on Iran next week and that he intended to hit more Iranian infrastructure, including bridges, thermal power plants and distribution systems.

It was not immediately clear where all additional fighter planes would be deployed, but an Israeli military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they could be placed on Israeli Air Force bases. /Periscope/