Portion of American air defense moved from Europe to the Middle East
Some American air defense systems have been redeployed from Europe to the Middle East due to the military conflict between the USA and Israel with Iran. This was reported to American lawmakers by General Alexus Grinkevich, commander of NATO's Allied Forces in Europe.
American Patriot missile systems. Illustrative photo. Photo: Mindaugas Kulbis / AP
During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, General Grinkevich explained that a portion of the air defense systems, which were in the area of responsibility of the U.S. European Command, were used to protect NATO allies in the eastern Mediterranean. Responding to a question from Senator Angus King about whether these systems were indeed moved from Europe to the Middle East, the general confirmed it.
Earlier, the Turkish Ministry of Defense reported that NATO forces shot down a ballistic missile that was launched from Iranian territory and was moving towards Turkish airspace. Iran denied launching missiles towards Turkey. A few days later, the Turkish military department reported another similar incident where a missile was also destroyed.
The joint operation of the USA and Israel against Iran has been ongoing since February 28. During the strikes on Tehran, the country's 86-year-old supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, and several other high-ranking Iranian officials were also eliminated.
In response, Iran launched strikes on Israel and fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Persian Gulf countries. As a result of the attacks, American military bases, diplomatic missions, and oil facilities were damaged.
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