Israel is expecting additional US refuelling aircraft amid an escalation in strikes against Iran
Israel is preparing to receive additional US aerial refuelling aircraft. This was announced by a spokesperson for the Israeli military against the backdrop of escalating attacks between the US and Iran over the past week, according to Reuters.
Following the collapse of the temporary ceasefire agreed a month ago, the United States and Iran have intensified their mutual attacks. This has once again heightened the risk of the conflict escalating into a full-scale war. However, Israel is not participating in the latest US strikes.
According to a spokesperson for the Israeli military, the US has decided to reposition its forces in the region and reinforce the existing contingent of aerial refuelling aircraft stationed in Israel. Another senior official reported that several dozen US aircraft of this type are expected to arrive in the country.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem has not yet commented on this information.
Since the start of the conflict, which began on 28 February following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, the United States has already deployed dozens of aerial refuelling aircraft to Israel.
Earlier, Axios, citing three American and Israeli officials, reported that the Donald Trump administration had informed Israel of the deployment of several dozen more refuelling aircraft to the country ahead of a possible expansion of military operations against Iran.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military noted that, to minimise the impact on civil air traffic and in view of operational and logistical requirements, some of the American aircraft are being stationed not only at Israeli Air Force bases but also at civilian airports.
In May, Sharon Kedmi, Director-General of the Israel Airports Authority, reported that the capacity of the country’s main airport, Ben Gurion, had been reduced by approximately 70 per cent due to US military activities. Following this, the US agreed to transfer some of the aircraft to Israeli Air Force bases.
As of 25 June, according to a spokesperson for Transport Minister Miri Regev, there were 98 US military aircraft in Israel.
