As the "epic fury" military operation launched by the United States and Israel against Iran enters its fourth day, the flames of war continue to intensify. To cope with the complex battlefield situation, the United States is accelerating the deployment of tactical aviation forces to the Middle East region. On the 3rd, a new batch of F-35A stealth fighters and F-15E multirole fighters took off from the Royal Air Force Base in Lakenheiser, UK, and headed straight towards the Middle East theater.

Just a few days ago on March 1st, three F-15E aircraft were mistakenly hit by friendly forces and crashed over Kuwait. Although six crew members survived, this incident also exposed the harsh reality of missiles and drones intertwined in the current airspace, making it extremely difficult to identify friend or foe.

This includes more than ten F-35A fighter jets originally stationed at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Aerophotographers Eugenia Golding and Paul Field, who reside near the LaCrosse base, captured the F-35A formation taking off accompanied by KC-135 tankers, with three F-15E aircraft following closely behind and heading towards the front line.

In addition to tactical fighter jets, the B-2 Phantom, B-1B Lancer, and B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers have all taken off from the United States mainland and participated in strikes against Iranian targets. At the same time, dozens of transport planes shuttle day and night, constantly transporting air defense systems and other war materials to the region.

Within the first 72 hours of the operation, the Central Command announced the destruction of over 1700 targets, including command and control centers, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities, air defense systems, ballistic and anti-ship missile positions, and naval bases. The Muwafak Sarti military base in central Jordan has become a core hub for US tactical aircraft.

As the country with the strongest air power in the region, the Israeli Air Force has also launched multiple large-scale airstrikes on targets within Iran. In addition, the UK Ministry of Defense confirmed that one of its F-35B fighter jets shot down an Iranian drone over Jordan on the 3rd; France has deployed Rafale fighter jets to its base in Dafra, United Arab Emirates, to protect its naval and air bases in the region from Iranian attacks. Greek fighter jets have also entered Cyprus to carry out defense missions.

The latest estimate given by Trump regarding how long this conflict will last is "four to five weeks". However, analysts point out that the current deployment of troops may still be stretched thin in order to sustain high-intensity campaigns lasting more than a month. As the war drags on, it is expected that more US military aviation assets will flood into the Middle East.

Mohammad Mukhbel, a senior aide to the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, said on the 4th that Iran has no intention of negotiating with the United States and will fight as long as it wants.

(This article is excerpted from Global Times)Editor/Yang Meiling