US has moved dozens of fighter jets toward Middle East over past day, flight trackers show

By Emanuel Fabian

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17 February 2026, 6:44 pm

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Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

A squadron of US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft flyover at the White House, September 3, 2025. (AP/ Alex Brandon)

Illustration: A squadron US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft flyover at the White House, September 3, 2025. (AP/ Alex Brandon)

The American military has moved dozens of fighter jets toward the Middle East over the past day, according to open-source flight tracking data, as the United States and Iran held a second round of talks in Switzerland over Tehran’s nuclear program.

They include F-22, F-35, and F-16 jets. Several refuelers have also been spotted on the move, according to social media accounts dedicated to tracking military flights.

#USAF United States Air Force – Middle East Activity (Coronet)
17 February – 1129z

There are currently 36x F-16s and 12x F-22s on the move, or about to depart towards the Middle East. 12x F-16s each from Aviano and Spangdahlem in Europe, and 12x from McEntire Joint National… https://t.co/5OsSSHZVp3 pic.twitter.com/eZGqbqvnyg

— Armchair Admiral ???????? (@ArmchairAdml) February 17, 2026

A US official also confirms to the Axios news site that more than 50 fighter jets have been moved to the region in the past 24 hours.

The negotiations in Geneva commenced amid a significant US military buildup in the region, which Trump has repeatedly threatened to use, first over a deadly crackdown on protesters last month and then more recently over Tehran’s nuclear program.