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Israel Living Up To Reputation As Unsinkable American Aircraft Carrier

Forbes - Tuesday, June 30, 2026 by Paul Iddon and |

The United States is reportedly exploring the possibility of relocating some of its bases in the Middle East to Israel. The U.S.-Israel war against Iran and its aftermath may see Israel living up more than ever to its reputation, which it embraced and promoted for decades, as the equivalent of an unsinkable American aircraft carrier in that strategic region.

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Ahead of the most recent U.S.-Israel war, the U.S. Air Force deployed fifth-generation F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to Israel’s Ovda Air Base, marking the first-ever deployment of U.S. combat aircraft to Israel. The U.S.-based JINSA think-tank hailed the move, recalling Israel’s reputation as “the largest aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk” before positing that: “Deploying F-22s to Ovda now gives the United States a third aircraft carrier in the region to confront Iran.”

Furthermore, the national security think-tank also argued that the deployment gave the U.S. “far more striking power than our entire buildup at other airbases throughout the region.” A redeployment of additional U.S. forces and equipment presently in the Gulf may test that hypothesis, especially in the event of another round of hostilities with Iran. In the months since that deployment, there were complaints in Israel over how much space a parallel U.S. deployment of large KC-46 and KC-135 aerial tankers has taken up at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport at the expense of civil aviation.

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Read the full article in Forbes.