US deploys F-22s to base near Iran

 
An F-22 flies during the Farnborough International Airshow, 2010
Photo / AP, Sang Tan

The U.S. military has deployed several F-22s, the nation's most advanced fighter jets, to an allied base less than 200 miles from Iran. The Air Force strongly denies this deployment is meant as a show of force against Iran or that it is in some way related to a potential strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Rather, it says this is all part of a routine deployment and "security cooperation with regional partners."

The Air Force won't say how many jets were sent or exactly where they are stationed, but privately, U.S. officials have told Fox News the jets are in hangars at the United Arab Emirates' Al Dafra Air Base, a fact first reported by Aviation Week.

Fitch gives Israel 'A' credit rating

The Fitch credit rating agency announced Wednesday that it had ratified
Israel's credit rating and set it to "'A,' with a stable outlook."

In a statement issued Thursday, Fitch noted Israel's macroeconomic performance and said that the forecast was deemed stable "despite the crisis with Iran and the talk suggesting a possible Israeli strike on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities."

Fitch further estimated that Israel's economy will not a 3% growth rate in 2012,
and further estimated that the country's economic growth in 2013 will stand at 3.5%.

Ehud Barak:
Israel has no reason to believe Western
sanctions will stop Iran's nuclear program

 
Barak (left) on Thursday with Former IDF Major General Matan Vilnai
Photo / Ynet, Moti Kimchi

According to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, “the worry of the Iranian leadership is that the international allied supervision will lead to an American, Israeli or international military operation, which... causes them to focus on deepening their immunity as a response to the possibility of an attack. We have no reason to believe that immunity will change the mind of the leadership or prevent it from moving toward a nuclear weapon