In less than 24 hours, after the American F-22 fighter jets landed in Israel, China shattered the myth of the “invisible” fighter, sending a loud message of support to Iran with its eyes on Taiwan. Specifically, in a move that many analysts describe as the greatest humiliation of the American armed forces in recent years, China proceeded to publish detailed satellite images depicting each of the F-22 Raptor aircraft deployed in Israel.
While the US believed that the transfer of its top stealth fighters to the Ovda air base in Israel would remain a “hidden card” against the threats of Iran, China published on Weibo images where each aircraft is individually marked with Chinese characters. These 11 F-22 Raptors had flown from the RAF Lakenheath base in England, supported by seven aerial refueling aircraft, covering thousands of miles to land in Israel on 25 February. This constitutes an unprecedented move by the US. The F-22 Raptor was considered one of the most closely guarded secrets of the US. The US has never exported this stealth fighter to any of its allies, neither to the United Kingdom, nor to Canada, nor even to Israel. Furthermore, the US had never deployed the Raptors in Israel, neither during the operation against ISIS, nor during the war in Iraq, nor even during operation “Midnight Hammer”.
Only 195 F-22 were ever built. Nearly 180 remain operational. According to data from the US Air Force (USAF), the availability rate of the Raptors was just 40,19% in 2024. This means that, at any given time, only 72 Raptors are available for any mission. Of these 72, the US decided to send 11 to Israel, underlining the seriousness of Washington’s force mobilization in the Middle East, the largest since the war in Iraq in 2003.
However, within 24 hours, China published images of the fighter aircraft that was never supposed to be visible.
Sometimes, an image is worth a thousand words. This image, perhaps, is worth a million words. Because it reveals the kind of hybrid support that China will offer to Iran, as Tehran prepares for another confrontation with the US and Israel.
The precedent of India and Pakistan
China’s hybrid support has a precedent, the four day India-Pakistan war in May 2025. During that conflict, the India-China border remained calm and no significant arms shipments from China to Pakistan were recorded.
However, this did not mean that China was neutral. Senior Indian defense officials argued that India faced the combined power of China and Pakistan. Lieutenant General Rahul Singh stated in July 2025 that China provided “every possible support”, giving “live inputs” for critical Indian positions to Pakistan.
This support included:
1) Real time intelligence sharing.
2) Use of the Chinese BeiDou navigation system by Pakistan to complete the “kill chain”.
3) Support in disinformation and propaganda campaigns.
This strategy allows Beijing to weaken India’s military capabilities without engaging in actual combat, something that Western countries have successfully done in Ukraine against Russia.
China’s strategy in Iran
China now appears to be applying the same strategy in Iran. Although it is not expected to provide direct military, kinetic support, it is providing Tehran with intelligence and surveillance data.
Beijing is providing Iran with data transmitted from its satellites on the movement of American military assets in real time. Analysts describe this cooperation as “eyes and fist”, where Chinese space assets support Iran’s regional strike capabilities.
China’s fleet, consisting of more than 500 operational satellites, allows Tehran to monitor the deployment of US forces in the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. In addition, Iran now has access to the BeiDou system, after the US had blocked its access to GPS during the 12 day war last June.
“Taiwan is the prize”
This strategy has a long term objective. As security experts point out, every missile launched by the US against Iran is a missile that cannot be launched against China.
A campaign in Iran that consumes hundreds of Tomahawk missiles and thousands of JDAM bombs directly reduces the stockpiles intended for the Taiwan scenario. China’s hybrid support to Iran is not only aimed at protecting a friendly regime that constitutes a pillar of its energy security, but is part of a broader plan to pull America away from Taiwan.
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