F-35s From Hill AFB Arrive In England
17:29 GOLD 73-74 flt x1 ?KC-135? & KC-46+ TABOR ?? x3? F-35/A Lightning II'sChecking in with Shanwick on 8831 khz with another Group of #F35's Bound for Lakenheath from Hill AFB #KHIFEstimating 5630N025W at 1756z And Will Freq Switch at 20W.#GOLD73: 17-46031#GOLD74: ??? https://t.co/HSv7I5QjR6 pic.twitter.com/Jq3ouVDDqU
— Andy (@Andyyyyrrrr) March 19, 2025
As of Thursday afternoon, 12 F-35s arrived at RAF Lakenheath, according to local plane spotter Karl O'Kane.
It is unclear why those jets were sent to Lakenheath, but that base has served as a way station for flights between the U.S. and the Middle East. On March 17, Air &Space Forces Magazine reported that the U.S. Air Force was sending additional aircraft to the region. Officials from the Pentagon and several Air Force commands declined to comment about where the F-35s are headed.
The U.S. military is expected to send additional aircraft to the Middle East, U.S. officials tell me.
— Chris Gordon (@ByChrisGordon) March 17, 2025
While there are plenty of reasons the visiting stealth fighters could stay put in Europe, RAF Lakenheath is already home to the USAF's forward deployed F-35A contingent, hosting two squadrons. Two F-15E Strike Eagle squadrons also call the base home.
If indeed they are heading to the Middle East, the jets crossed the Atlantic as the U.S. military continued to pound Houthi targets in Yemen from the air and sea in a campaign that began on March 15. There were 'four US attacks in the Al Khatib area of Al Hudaydah Governorate in Yemen' on Thursday, according to the Houthti-controlled Ansar Allah Telegram channel.
U.S. Central Command declined to say when its most recent attacks took place, instead pointing to its latest message on X posted Wednesday. It included a video of F/A 18-E/F Super Hornets launching from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman bound for strike missions against the Houthis.
'CENTCOM forces continue 24/7 operations against the Iran-backed Houthis,' the command stated.
CENTCOM forces continue 24/7 operations against the Iran-backed Houthis…#HouthisAreTerrorists pic.twitter.com/RkWsmDgEFR
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 19, 2025
Earlier on Thursday, the Houthis claimed they launched another missile strike at Israel.
'The Yemeni armed forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting Ben Gurion airport in the occupied Jaffa region with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile,' Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on Thursday.
#Houthis Claim 'Successful' Attack On Ben Gurion Airport As #Israelis Run For Cover, Say…Yemen's Houthis claim their attack on Tel Aviv's #BenGurionAirport with hypersonic ballistic missiles was 'successful', even as they escalate attacks in the #RedSea. pic.twitter.com/ilD7wJFIeH
— Mint (@livemint) March 20, 2025
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) disputed the result of that attack.
'Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory,' the IDF said on Telegram.
LIVE: Israel comes under ballistic missile attack by the Houthis for the second time in 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/5IaqHT65Eb
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) March 20, 2025
The US has asked Israel not to this attack, according to Israeli media.
'The request comes as the US has carried out widespread strikes against the Houthis in recent days,' The Times of Israel reported. 'The US told Israel to 'let them deal with it.'
The latest campaign against the Houthis was ordered by President Donald Trump as the Yemen-based rebels vowed to resume their attacks on Israeli-connected vessels. The Houthis paused those strikes during the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war that has since broken down into open conflict.
On Monday, U.S. officials provided details about the initial stages of this campaign, which they acknowledge could take weeks.
'The initial wave of strikes hit over 30 targets at multiple locations, degrading a variety of Houthi capabilities,' Air Force Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich explained to reporters, including from The War Zone. 'These included terrorist training sites, unmanned aerial vehicle infrastructure, weapons manufacturing capabilities and weapons storage facilities. It also included a number of command and control centers, including a terrorist compound where we know several senior unmanned aerial vehicle experts were located. On Sunday, strike operations continued against additional headquarters locations, weapon storage facilities, as well as detection capabilities that have been used to threaten maritime shipping in the past.'
CENTCOM operations against Iran-backed Houthis continue… pic.twitter.com/DYvc3gREN8
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 15, 2025
The Houthi shipping attacks began in November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians over the latest war between Israel and Gaza. They have forced ships to avoid the Suez Canal for a far longer route around Africa, boosting cargo costs by nearly $200 billion. The Houthis' attacks sank two vessels, damaged many others, caused the death of four mariners, and led to many being held hostage after a ship was seized. There were also a lot of Houthi weapons that missed their targets entirely. In addition to attacking shipping, the Houthis have also fired missiles and drones at Israel. You can read more about the Houthis' arsenal in our deep dive here.
After the U.S. began hitting Houthi targets in Yemen last week, the group said it has hit back. On Thursday, the Houthis claimed they attacked the Truman Carrier Strike Group for the fourth time since the latest campaign against them began. A U.S. defense official pushed back on that claim.
'Houthis continue to communicate lies and disinformation,' the official told The War Zone Thursday. 'They are well known for false claims minimizing the results of our attacks while exaggerating the successes of theirs. In fact, they have claimed to have hit our ships multiple times in the past and have even claimed to have sunk our aircraft carriers. Their messaging depends on lies.'
That follows comments Grynkewich made last week after the Houthis claimed they launched 18 ballistic missiles and a drone at the strike group.
'Quite frankly, it's hard to tell' what the Houthis were targeting, Grynkewich said, 'because while we're executing precision strikes, they missed by over 100 miles. I would question anything that they claim to the press that they're doing or not doing.'
All this comes as tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the Houthis' main benefactors, are increasing under Trump's 'maximum pressure' doctrine.
Earlier this week, Trump sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that included a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear deal, Axios reported, citing sources. In 2018, Trump pulled out of an earlier nuclear weapons deal signed by former President Barack Obama.
Iranians pushed back on Trump's deadline.
'We will not engage in direct negotiations under pressure, threats, or increased sanctions,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
In a video statement released on Thursday, Khamenei criticized the attacks on the Houthi militia, warning that they should be prevented.
The tensions are being exacerbated by Israel's resumption of attacks on Hamas, including air strikes and a limited ground incursion that have resulted in increasing deaths of civilians and the elimination of much of Hamas' remaining leadership.
The U.S. has said the attacks on the Houthis will end once the rebel group stops launching attacks on shipping. Meanwhile, the Houthis continue to claim strikes against U.S. Navy ships.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
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San Francisco Chronicle
15 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Why not enough food is reaching people in Gaza even after Israel eased its blockade
International outcry over images of emaciated children and increasing reports of hunger-related deaths have pressured Israel to let more aid into the Gaza Strip. This week, Israel paused fighting in parts of Gaza and airdropped food. But aid groups and Palestinians say the changes have only been incremental and are not enough to reverse what food experts say is a ' worst-case scenario of famine' unfolding in the war-ravaged territory. The new measures have brought an uptick in the number of aid trucks entering Gaza. But almost none of it reaches U.N. warehouses for distribution. Instead, nearly all the trucks are stripped of their cargo by crowds that overwhelm them on the roads as they drive from the borders. The crowds are a mix of Palestinians desperate for food and gangs armed with knives, axes or pistols who loot the goods to then hoard or sell. Many have also been killed trying to grab the aid. Witnesses say Israeli troops often open fire on crowds around the aid trucks, and hospitals have reported hundreds killed or wounded. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots to control crowds or at people who approach its forces. The alternative food distribution system run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has also been marred by violence. International airdrops of aid have resumed. But aid groups say airdrops deliver only a fraction of what trucks can supply. Also, many parcels have landed in now-inaccessible areas that Palestinians have been told to evacuate, while others have plunged into the Mediterranean Sea, forcing people to swim out to retrieve drenched bags of flour. Here's a look at why the aid isn't being distributed: A lack of trust The U.N. says that longstanding restrictions on the entry of aid have created an unpredictable environment, and that while a pause in fighting might allow more aid in, Palestinians are not confident aid will reach them. 'This has resulted in many of our convoys offloaded directly by starving, desperate people as they continue to face deep levels of hunger and are struggling to feed their families,' said Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. 'The only way to reach a level of confidence is by having a sustained flow of aid over a period of time,' she said. Israel blocked food entirely from entering Gaza for 2 ½ months starting in March. Since it eased the blockade in late May, it allowed in a trickle of aid trucks for the U.N., about 70 a day on average, according to official Israeli figures. That is far below the 500-600 trucks a day that U.N. agencies say are needed — the amount that entered during a six-week ceasefire earlier this year. Much of the aid is stacked up just inside the border in Gaza because U.N. trucks could not pick it up. The U.N says that was because of Israeli military restrictions on its movements and because of the lawlessness in Gaza. Israel has argued that it is allowing sufficient quantities of goods into Gaza and tried to shift the blame to the U.N. 'More consistent collection and distribution by U.N. agencies and international organizations = more aid reaching those who need it most in Gaza,' the Israeli military agency in charge of aid coordination, COGAT, said in a statement this week. With the new measures this week, COGAT, says 220-270 truckloads a day were allowed into Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday, and that the U.N. was able to pick up more trucks, reducing some of the backlog at the border. Aid missions still face 'constraints' Cherevko said there have been 'minor improvements' in approvals by the Israeli military for its movements and some 'reduced waiting times' for trucks along the road. But she said the aid missions are 'still facing constraints.' Delays of military approval still mean trucks remain idle for long periods, and the military still restricts the routes that the trucks can take onto a single road, which makes it easy for people to know where the trucks are going, U.N officials say. Antoine Renard, who directs the World Food Program's operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, said Wednesday that it took nearly 12 hours to bring in 52 trucks on a 10-kilometer (6 mile) route. 'While we're doing everything that we can to actually respond to the current wave of starvation in Gaza, the conditions that we have are not sufficient to actually make sure that we can break that wave,' he said. Aid workers say the changes Israel has made in recent days are largely cosmetic. 'These are theatrics, token gestures dressed up as progress,' said Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam's policy lead for Israel and the Palestinian territories. 'Of course, a handful of trucks, a few hours of tactical pauses and raining energy bars from the sky is not going to fix irreversible harm done to an entire generation of children that have been starved and malnourished for months now,' she said. Breakdown of law and order As desperation mounts, Palestinians are risking their lives to get food, and violence is increasing, say aid workers. Muhammad Shehada, a political analyst from Gaza who is a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said aid retrieval has turned into the survival of the fittest. 'It's a Darwin dystopia, the strongest survive,' he said. A truck driver said Wednesday that he has driven food supplies four times from the Zikim crossing on Gaza's northern border. Every time, he said, crowds a kilometer long (0.6 miles) surrounded his truck and took everything on it after he passed the checkpoint at the edge of the Israeli military-controlled border zones. He said some were desperate people, while others were armed. He said that on Tuesday, for the first time, some in the crowd threatened him with knives or small arms. He spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for his safety. Ali al-Derbashi, another truck driver, said that during one trip in July armed men shot the tires, stole everything, including the diesel and batteries and beat him. 'If people weren't starving, they wouldn't resort to this,' he said. Israel has said it has offered the U.N. armed escorts. The U.N. has refused, saying it can't be seen to be working with a party to the conflict – and pointing to the reported shootings when Israeli troops are present. Uncertainty and humiliation Israel hasn't given a timeline for how long the measures it implemented this week will continue, heightening uncertainty and urgency among Palestinians to seize the aid before it ends. Palestinians say the way it's being distributed, including being dropped from the sky, is inhumane. 'This approach is inappropriate for Palestinians, we are humiliated,' said Rida, a displaced woman. Momen Abu Etayya said he almost drowned because his son begged him to get aid that fell into the sea during an aid drop. 'I threw myself in the ocean to death just to bring him something,' he said. 'I was only able to bring him three biscuit packets'. ___
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
Why not enough food is reaching people in Gaza even after Israel eased its blockade
International outcry over images of emaciated children and increasing reports of hunger-related deaths have pressured Israel to let more aid into the Gaza Strip. This week, Israel paused fighting in parts of Gaza and airdropped food. But aid groups and Palestinians say the changes have only been incremental and are not enough to reverse what food experts say is a ' worst-case scenario of famine' unfolding in the war-ravaged territory. The new measures have brought an uptick in the number of aid trucks entering Gaza. But almost none of it reaches U.N. warehouses for distribution. Instead, nearly all the trucks are stripped of their cargo by crowds that overwhelm them on the roads as they drive from the borders. The crowds are a mix of Palestinians desperate for food and gangs armed with knives, axes or pistols who loot the goods to then hoard or sell. Many have also been killed trying to grab the aid. Witnesses say Israeli troops often open fire on crowds around the aid trucks, and hospitals have reported hundreds killed or wounded. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots to control crowds or at people who approach its forces. The alternative food distribution system run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has also been marred by violence. International airdrops of aid have resumed. But aid groups say airdrops deliver only a fraction of what trucks can supply. Also, many parcels have landed in now-inaccessible areas that Palestinians have been told to evacuate, while others have plunged into the Mediterranean Sea, forcing people to swim out to retrieve drenched bags of flour. Here's a look at why the aid isn't being distributed: The U.N. says that longstanding restrictions on the entry of aid have created an unpredictable environment, and that while a pause in fighting might allow more aid in, Palestinians are not confident aid will reach them. 'This has resulted in many of our convoys offloaded directly by starving, desperate people as they continue to face deep levels of hunger and are struggling to feed their families,' said Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. 'The only way to reach a level of confidence is by having a sustained flow of aid over a period of time,' she said. Israel blocked food entirely from entering Gaza for 2 ½ months starting in March. Since it eased the blockade in late May, it allowed in a trickle of aid trucks for the U.N., about 70 a day on average, according to official Israeli figures. That is far below the 500-600 trucks a day that U.N. agencies say are needed — the amount that entered during a six-week ceasefire earlier this year. Much of the aid is stacked up just inside the border in Gaza because U.N. trucks could not pick it up. The U.N says that was because of Israeli military restrictions on its movements and because of the lawlessness in Gaza. Israel has argued that it is allowing sufficient quantities of goods into Gaza and tried to shift the blame to the U.N. 'More consistent collection and distribution by U.N. agencies and international organizations = more aid reaching those who need it most in Gaza,' the Israeli military agency in charge of aid coordination, COGAT, said in a statement this week. With the new measures this week, COGAT, says 220-270 truckloads a day were allowed into Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday, and that the U.N. was able to pick up more trucks, reducing some of the backlog at the border. Cherevko said there have been 'minor improvements' in approvals by the Israeli military for its movements and some 'reduced waiting times' for trucks along the road. But she said the aid missions are 'still facing constraints.' Delays of military approval still mean trucks remain idle for long periods, and the military still restricts the routes that the trucks can take onto a single road, which makes it easy for people to know where the trucks are going, U.N officials say. Antoine Renard, who directs the World Food Program's operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, said Wednesday that it took nearly 12 hours to bring in 52 trucks on a 6 mile route. 'While we're doing everything that we can to actually respond to the current wave of starvation in Gaza, the conditions that we have are not sufficient to actually make sure that we can break that wave,' he said. Aid workers say the changes Israel has made in recent days are largely cosmetic. 'These are theatrics, token gestures dressed up as progress,' said Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam's policy lead for Israel and the Palestinian territories. 'Of course, a handful of trucks, a few hours of tactical pauses and raining energy bars from the sky is not going to fix irreversible harm done to an entire generation of children that have been starved and malnourished for months now,' she said. As desperation mounts, Palestinians are risking their lives to get food, and violence is increasing, say aid workers. Muhammad Shehada, a political analyst from Gaza who is a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said aid retrieval has turned into the survival of the fittest. 'It's a Darwin dystopia, the strongest survive,' he said. A truck driver said Wednesday that he has driven food supplies four times from the Zikim crossing on Gaza's northern border. Every time, he said, crowds a kilometer long (0.6 miles) surrounded his truck and took everything on it after he passed the checkpoint at the edge of the Israeli military-controlled border zones. He said some were desperate people, while others were armed. He said that on Tuesday, for the first time, some in the crowd threatened him with knives or small arms. He spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for his safety. Ali al-Derbashi, another truck driver, said that during one trip in July armed men shot the tires, stole everything, including the diesel and batteries and beat him. 'If people weren't starving, they wouldn't resort to this,' he said. Israel has said it has offered the U.N. armed escorts. The U.N. has refused, saying it can't be seen to be working with a party to the conflict – and pointing to the reported shootings when Israeli troops are present. Israel hasn't given a timeline for how long the measures it implemented this week will continue, heightening uncertainty and urgency among Palestinians to seize the aid before it ends. Palestinians say the way it's being distributed, including being dropped from the sky, is inhumane. 'This approach is inappropriate for Palestinians, we are humiliated,' said Rida, a displaced woman. Momen Abu Etayya said he almost drowned because his son begged him to get aid that fell into the sea during an aid drop. 'I threw myself in the ocean to death just to bring him something,' he said. 'I was only able to bring him three biscuit packets'. Mednick writes for the Associated Press. AP reporters Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Fatma Khaled in Cairo and Michael Biesecker in Washington contributed to this report.
Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Epoch Times
Navy Pilot Safe After Fighter Jet Crashes in Central California
A pilot safely ejected from an F-35C fighter jet before it crashed in Central California on July 30, according to the U.S. Navy. 'We can confirm the pilot successfully ejected and is safe,' the Naval Air Station at Lemoore posted on Facebook.
