US Deploys AWACS Near Gulf Amid Escalation

Flight data showed the aircraft took off at 16:25 GMT and initially appeared in Saudi Arabian airspace before climbing in altitude. It first headed north before changing course and flying northwest.

The data also showed four additional US military aircraft operating over the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, including three Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tankers and one Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker.

The increased aerial activity follows recent US attacks on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory strikes on US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, with tensions rising over the ceasefire.

In the early hours of Friday, US military surveillance and refueling aircraft were tracked over the Gulf region, with at least six aircraft detected, including AWACS and tanker planes. The activity coincided with reports of explosions in several Iranian cities, though US officials denied involvement in the reported strikes.

Earlier on Friday, Iran's National Security Council Secretary Mohammad Baqer Zolghadr warned that any attacks on Iranian infrastructure would face an "inevitable" response, stressing Tehran's readiness to confront the "Israeli" occupation and its allies. He also criticized US President Donald Trump and Washington's policies.