OPINION (Express) – The US has deployed a mysterious number of F-22 Raptor stealth fighters for the first time to the Middle East, amid growing fears of a clash with Iran. The number of F-22 Raptors remains unclear but photographers spotted at least a dozen of the radar-evading jets at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar for the first time ever. In

response, a senior Iranian figure has threatened to annihilate Israel “with half an hour” if the US strikes Iran. The deployment of the top-secret stealth fighter jets has put the Middle East is on alert amid rising tensions between Iran and the US. Earlier today, the US Air Force confirmed the presence of the fighter jets – insisting they were deployed to “defend American forces and interests”. This comes after Iran breached the limit on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium set under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. READ MORE