Twelve U.S. F-22 fighter jets, among the most advanced in the world, landed in Israel on Tuesday as part of a broader American military buildup amid the possibility of a strike on Iran.

The F-22 Raptor is one of two fifth-generation fighter jets in the U.S. arsenal, alongside the F-35, which is also operated by the Israeli Air Force. The landing of American fighter jets in Israel is unusual; the deployment of advanced stealth F-22s is particularly so.

US F-22 fighter jets depart from Britain for a base in Jordan on Tuesday(Video: from X)

US F-22 fighter jets depart from Britain for a base in Jordan on Tuesday

The F-22, which first flew in 1990, is primarily an air superiority fighter but is also capable of ground attack, electronic warfare and intelligence missions. Unlike the F-35, the F-22 has not been sold to foreign militaries due to a U.S. legal prohibition.

The aircraft’s first operational mission was in 2014, when it struck Islamic State targets. Its first shootdown came in 2023, when it downed a Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean. It has not shot down a manned aircraft.

Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford continues operating in the eastern Mediterranean and has passed Crete. It is expected to join the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been in the region for an extended period.

The developments come ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address later Tuesday and against the backdrop of heightened tensions over Iran.

In a series of posts on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed that diplomacy remained possible. “A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority,” Araghchi wrote. He said Iran would return to talks with the United States in Geneva, based on understandings reached in a previous round, with determination to reach a “fair and equitable deal” as quickly as possible.

“Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear,” he wrote. “Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon; neither will we Iranians ever forgo our right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people.”

Source: Drudge Report