he will contact their families. Saul Loeb/Pool AFP via AP

F-16s are being sent from Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, and stealth fighter jets, US F-35s, are flying to the region from a US Air Base in Britain, the outlet reported.

Additional refueling planes had already been sent to the region in recent days.

The president also defended the war after several Democratic members of Congress made statements blaming him for the troops' deaths.

5 Fighter jets have been scrambled from Germany after the Iranian attack. US MARINE CORPS/AFP via Getty Images

 Have you ever asked how many people died in Vietnam? Have you ever asked how many people died in Afghanistan in one day? In one day - run by Sleepy Joe Biden,  Trump said.

 This is two wars we're talking about: Venezuela and this. And it's a shame, but in this case, they died because they don't want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon and they don't want to see the Middle East blown up. 

As Republicans called for prayers for the fallen, many Democrats in Congress used the tragedy to call for the US to withdraw from the Middle East, claiming the fatalities could have been avoided otherwise.

5 President Trump defended the war while critics argued that the ongoing fighting is unnecessary and has cost American lives. via REUTERS

 This is the cost of President Trump's needless war,  wrote Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.)

 This country owes a debt that can never be repaid, but we can prevent more tragic loss of life,  Rep. Herb Conaway (D-N.J.) posted to X.

Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters

 I demand that Trump end this war that he started and Republicans in Congress do the same. Enough is enough. 

Trump has consistently argued that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is a core US national security interest, warning that a nuclear-armed Tehran would destabilize the Middle East and threaten American allies.

The service members' killed Friday are the first US fatalities since the president declared the cease-fire with Iran  over  last week, following Tehran's targeting of three ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran was supposed to have reopened the strait as part of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding that cemented the cease-fire.