Russia is paying close attention to the US Air Force F-16 squadron deployed to the Middle East amid the escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
As cited by state news agency TASS, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Undoubtedly, this is a cause for our very close attention. Naturally, we closely follow the de-velopments in the region.”
When he was asked whether there was a risk that the US squadron might be used for “provocations” against Russia, Peskov said: “As for provocations, there have been none until now and that is why I cannot say anything on this score. This is rather an issue that should be addressed to our military.”
The Pentagon had said this week that a squadron of F-16 fighting aircraft has arrived in the Middle East to work alongside an array of capabilities sent to the region to further enhance the ability of US forces to defend themselves as tensions rise amid the Israel-Hamas conflict playing out in Gaza.
Since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, militia groups supported by Iran have, on more than a dozen occasions, attacked US forces conducting counterterrorism missions in both Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon said.
Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said, “We know that the groups conducting these attacks are supported by the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)] and the Iranian regime. What we are seeing is the prospect for more significant escalation against US forces and personnel across the region, in the very near term, coming from Iranian proxy forces and ultimately from Iran.”
