NORAD scrambles jets to intercept Russian bombers near Alaska

The North American Aerospace Defense Command launched multiple U.S. fighter jets after tracking Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Thursday.

NORAD says it launched two F-16s, two F-35s, one E-3 and four KC-135s to “intercept, positively identify, and escort the aircraft until they departed the Alaskan ADIZ.”

“The Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace,” NORAD said in a press release. “This Russian activity in the Alaskan ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.”

Two Russian Tu-95s, two Su-35s, and one A-50 were identified in the ADIZ, though they did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace, according to NORAD.

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The ADIZ airspace is a designated region that requires strict identification procedures between U.S. and Russian aircraft operating in the area. It’s considered a buffer zone that acts as a boundary between the two countries.

“NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft and inform appropriate actions. NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America,” NORAD said in their statement on Thursday.

While this ADIZ isn’t sovereign U.S. airspace, the region is a strategic zone given its proximity to Russia. NORAD noted in their statement that the Russian activity that occurred on Thursday was not seen “as a threat.” 

The military response comes as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned Iran and “all parties in the [Middle Eastern] region to exercise restraint and caution” as the U.S. continues to expand military presence overseas.

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, steams alongside USNS Laramie. (U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 6th Fleet / Handout via Reuters)

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“Russia continues to develop relations with Iran, and in doing so, we call on our Iranian friends and all parties in the region to exercise restraint and caution, and we urge them to prioritize political and diplomatic means in resolving any problems,” Peskov said Thursday, according to Reuters.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and its strike group were deployed from the Caribbean Sea toward the Middle East in early to mid-February. 

The massive carrier was reportedly seen transiting through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea this month. The USS Gerald R. Ford joins the USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers that also arrived in the Middle East in February.

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President Donald Trump has demanded that Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei abandon his nuclear ambitions and cease the suppression of protests. (Chip Somodevilla; Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu)

Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said that satellite images show that the Iranian regime is attempting to restore “2 trillion” uranium enrichment capabilities at the Isfahan complex, despite talks between the Trump administration and the Middle Eastern country.

The U.S. Air Force and Navy strikes that occurred on June 22 targeted the Isfahan complex, as well as Fordow and Natanz.

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Fox News Digital reached out to NORAD but did not receive a response in time for publication. 

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

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