Twelve U.S. F-22 Raptors launched from RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, supported by seven aerial refueling tankers, and headed toward U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility as of 2:24 PM UTC on February 24, 2026, according to a post by Faytuks Network on X within the past 59 minutes from 1:45:39 PM to 2:45:33 PM UTC. The deployment comes amid ongoing regional tensions, including IDF searches in Gaza for the remains of four soldiers missing since Israel's 1948 War of Independence—Shmuel Arava, Shmuel Gabrielides, Meir Mizrahi, and Yosef Penso—as highlighted by Israeli journalist Amit Segal on X during Israel's Memorial Day for soldiers whose burial place is unknown, reported in the current reporting window. The IDF's Eitan Unit continues these efforts, recently checking hundreds of bodies in a Gazan cemetery for DNA matches during Operation Braveheart and interviewing elderly Gazans for testimony. Work began on Route 45 in the Binyamin region of Judea and Samaria, described by C14 News on X as "applying de facto sovereignty," with a linked article detailing the infrastructure project initiated within the reporting window. This development follows prior IDF pursuit of a car-ramming suspect near the Tunnels Checkpoint in Gush Etzion from the previous hour, as reported in earlier coverage, and separate Lebanese Army reports of gunfire from Israeli positions near the southern border.
