The US has deployed a dozen F/A-18 fighters to a military base in the Middle East. This move is part of the Pentagon’s efforts to protect Israel from potential attacks by Iran and its affiliates, reports The Times of Israel. According to an American official, the F/A-18 aircraft and the E-2D Hawkeye reconnaissance plane departed from an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Oman and arrived at an undisclosed base on Monday. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the increased military presence in the region due to concerns about escalation in the Middle East following the recent killings of a sen…