Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 04:19pm on 17 Feb 2026,Tuesday International
BBC Verify has confirmed a significant overnight US military deployment as two E-3 Sentry AWACS surveillance aircraft flew from Alaska to RAF Mildenhall in the UK overnight ahead of a potential US strike on Iran. Analysts describe the moves as the final "puzzle piece" ahead of a potential US strike on Iran. Satellite images have also tracked the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of Oman, while the USS Gerald R Ford is reported to be sailing from the Caribbean towards the Gulf. Meanwhile, an Iranian IRGC Shahid Soleimani-class warship has been spotted near Kish Island amid ongoing Gulf military exercises. Domestically, protests have broken out in Abdanan, western Iran, 40 days after a government-led operation in which activists claim more than 6,000 people have been killed, with crowds chanting "Death to Khamenei". (PC: BBC)
