Middle East

Military news from the Middle East.

Latest in Middle East

An Army Black Hawk helicopter lands at the al-Tanf base in Syria in April 2025. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Fred Brown.

US hits dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria amid base withdrawals

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 14, 2026

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), departs Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dec. 6, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)

US sends Ford aircraft carrier, fresh off Venezuela operations, to the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 14, 2026

Long-range weapons and other technologies are blurring the lines between combat and non-combat situations for sailors.

As naval combat evolves, there will be few ‘safe havens’ in a future war

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Feb 11, 2026

Caption: An A-10 Warthog flies by for close-air support while taking part in live-fire training with the USS Santa Barbara on Feb. 2, 2026. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Iain Page.

A-10 and LCS, both headed for retirement, spotted together in the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 10, 2026

U.S. Air Force Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, awardd three F-16 pilots from the 121st Fighter Squadron, District of Columbia Air National Guard, the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross with “C” device for combat in a ceremony on Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Feb, 1, 2026. The awards recognize actions by Majs. Benjamin “Boom” Saunders, Eric “Fume” Anderson and Capt. Ryan “Hammer” Boodee on April 13, 2024 while deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.

Air Guard pilots downed over a dozen Iranian drones to earn Distinguished Flying Crosses

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Feb 5, 2026

A U.S. Army Soldier, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI), pulls security from the top of a humvee during a training exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center on Fort Polk, Louisiana, Aug. 23, 2025. JRTC is designed to improve unit readiness through force-on-force exercises that prepare Soldiers for missions they may be assigned in real-world operations. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Mariah Aguilar)

Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division are headed back to the Middle East

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Feb 3, 2026

Image: U.S. Air Force Capt. Josiah Bierle, 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron pilot, awaits takeoff in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 30, 2025. Stationing A-10s in the CENTCOM AOR reinforces U.S. commitment to regional stability and strengthens deterrence against potential threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jonah Bliss)

An A-10 Warthog named ‘Diddy Kong’ is operating in the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 26, 2026

F-15s in Middle East

F-15 squadron that took out Iranian drones returns to the Middle East

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Jan 21, 2026

Image: U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Jan. 10, 2026) U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II prepare to taxi at base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike, Jan. 10, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Airstrike kills militant leader linked to ambush on US soldiers in Syria

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 17, 2026

U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Dec. 19, 2025) A U.S. Air Force chaplain prays over an A-10 Thunderbolt II at a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 19, 2025. (U.S. Air Force Photo)

An A-10 taking part in Syria airstrikes sports ‘Metroid’ nose art

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 12, 2026

Image: U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Jan. 10, 2026) A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II taxis at a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike, Jan. 10, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo)

US, Jordanian air forces conduct dozens of airstrikes in Syria against ISIS

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 10, 2026

U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Dec. 19, 2025) A U.S. Airman prepares an A-10 Thunderbolt II for flight from a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 19, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike. (U.S. Air Force photo)

US forces launch strikes on ISIS in Syria in retaliation for the death of 2 soldiers

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 19, 2025

Iowa National Guardsmen killed in Syria

Army identifies 2 Iowa National Guardsmen killed in Syria attack

By Nicholas Slayton, Jeff Schogol

Posted on Dec 15, 2025

Troops from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Special Operations and the US-led anti-jihadist coalition, take part in heavy-weaponry military exercises in the countryside of Deir Ezzor in northeastern Syria, on March 25, 2022. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Two US soldiers killed in ambush in Syria

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 13, 2025

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach presents the Silver Star Medal to Lt. Col. William Parks during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., Nov. 26, 2025. Parks also received the Bronze Star Medal during the ceremony. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stuart Bright)

Air Force F-16 pilot awarded Silver Star for actions in the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 28, 2025

Garrett Illerbrunn, center, and Lorna Illerbrun, kneeling, surrounded by friends and pilots from their former units at Garrett's retirement ceremony in early October. Garrett was severly wounded in a 2023 drone attack in Iraq.

An 82nd Airborne pilot took his final flight two years after Iraq drone attack

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Oct 24, 2025