Over Iran, U.S. and Israeli Aircraft Fly as Equals

By Mark Dubowitz

Monday, March 02, 2026

 

President Trump has rightly underscored America’s decisive role in the joint air campaign against Iran. But the operational reality is even more striking: The United States and Israel are flying as equal partners in this fight.

 

This is not symbolic parity. It is battlefield parity. The operation — “Epic Fury” on the American side and “Roaring Lion” for Israel — reflects a mature strategic partnership in which the two militaries are sharing burdens, risks, and operational responsibility at unprecedented levels. That symmetry underscores a larger truth: Israel has emerged as the preeminent military power in the Middle East at precisely the moment when successive U.S. presidents have sought to reduce America’s permanent footprint in the region. President Trump has found the right partner.

 

Within the first 36 hours of combat operations, Iran’s senior military leadership was decimated. Critical nuclear and ballistic missile infrastructure was severely degraded. The regime’s command-and-control architecture absorbed a shock from which it may not fully recover. Notably, these results were achieved without confirmed losses of American or Israeli pilots.

 

The Israeli Air Force opened the campaign with roughly 200 aircraft in coordinated sorties — its largest operational launch in history — conducted with tactical surprise. By March 1, Israeli pilots had effectively secured air superiority over Tehran.

 

Meanwhile, U.S. assets provided strategic depth and global reach: carrier-based aviation from the Gulf, stealth B-2 bombers conducting high-altitude precision strikes, and F-22s and refueling aircraft integrated seamlessly into the operational architecture.

 

Israel reportedly executed roughly half of all alliance strike missions — an extraordinary figure given that Israeli aircraft must traverse over 1,000 miles of contested airspace. American forces, by contrast, benefit from offshore carrier groups, forward-deployed bases, and long-range stealth capabilities.

 

This campaign marks a departure from prior Israel–Iran confrontations and a new model of alliance warfare. In April and October 2024, U.S. support was largely defensive — missile interception, emergency funding, and deterrent signaling. During Israel’s 2025 “Rising Lion” operation, the United States entered kinetically only on the eleventh day, when B-2 bombers struck hardened enrichment sites. This current operation began as a full-spectrum, public, and synchronized partnership from the outset.

 

President Trump previewed this shift in his October address to the Knesset: “We have confronted evil together and we have waged war together.” The current campaign operationalizes that doctrine.

 

The United States brings unmatched strategic lift, stealth, logistics, and global strike capabilities. Israel brings regional dominance, combat-tested innovation, intelligence penetration, and a military culture built on national mobilization and technological agility. Together, they represent the most formidable air power coalition in the world.

 

The campaign also sends a message across the Middle East. Iran’s missile salvos have not only targeted Israel; they have threatened Gulf states as well. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and others in the region have faced Iranian coercion for years — from missile and drone attacks to proxy warfare. Many have strengthened their defenses and quietly deepened security coordination as a result. The current operation may accelerate those trends.

 

Some states will reassess the durability of Iranian power. Others may see renewed value in expanded regional integration frameworks such as the Abraham Accords. Still others will pursue quieter security understandings. The trajectory points toward pragmatic realignment rather than ideological confrontation.

 

For Saudi Arabia in particular, the calculus is complex. Riyadh must balance deterrence, domestic stability, and regional diplomacy. But it also understands that unchecked Iranian aggression threatens the entire Gulf order. The demonstration of U.S.–Israeli operational cohesion may strengthen incentives for broader strategic cooperation over time.

 

Israel’s performance confirms what years of investment, innovation, and battlefield experience have produced: a military capable not merely of defending itself but of operating at peer level alongside the United States in high-intensity warfare. For Washington, this is the ideal regional partner — one that can project power, absorb risk, and align strategically without requiring indefinite American occupation or nation-building commitments.

 

In an era of great-power competition stretching from Tehran to Beijing and Moscow, alliance structures that combine American strategic weight with capable regional powers are indispensable. Over Iran, U.S. and Israeli aircraft are flying as equals. That fact will not be lost on Tehran. Nor should it be lost on the rest of the Middle East.