US to send additional refueling aircraft to Israel as Iran tensions escalate

The United States has informed Israel that it plans to bring dozens of additional aerial refueling aircraft to Israel amid escalating military clashes with Iran, Axios reported Friday, citing several unnamed U.S. and Israeli officials. The additional refueling planes would be required if U.S. President Donald Trump decides to expand military strikes against Iran, including a potential strike on Tehran’s covert Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility.

The United States has been operating a fleet of aerial refueling aircraft from Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport as part of preparations and support for the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. However, the presence of the U.S. Air Force planes has created an aviation bottleneck, limiting space for civilian airlines during the peak summer travel season.

The U.S. Air Force currently operates about 30 refueling aircraft at the Israeli airport and officials have warned that if the planes are not relocated, thousands of flights and as many as 50,000 airline tickets could be canceled due to the lack of available airport capacity.

Last month, the U.S. military began relocating some refueling aircraft to Israeli military bases in an effort to ease congestion at Ben Gurion. However, according to Israeli officials who spoke to Axios on condition of anonymity, Washington prefers operating from Ben Gurion because it is considered safer and less vulnerable to potential Iranian missile and drone attacks.

While Israel supports the U.S. military campaign against Iran, Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev warned that the continued presence of the refueling aircraft could disrupt civilian travel and that mass flight cancellations would undermine Israel’s national morale and resilience after nearly three years of war.

“Mass cancellations of summer and holiday flights at a time when the Israeli public needs relief and normalcy more than ever will harm national morale and civic resilience,” Regev said

Regev subsequently instructed the Transportation Ministry to negotiate a solution with the U.S. military.

However, Israeli defense officials appear to support Washington’s position. “The American demand is justified. The refueling aircraft are a strategic asset of the United States in the region, and they are an integral part of the joint preparations against Iran. From an operational standpoint, it is important that they be able to operate under the conditions set by the Americans,” a senior Israeli military official told Ynet News.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reportedly supports the U.S. military and is opposed to moving the U.S. aircraft to Israeli Air Force bases in the Negev region.

Ben Gurion Airport has served as a central hub for U.S. refueling aircraft and other military planes during the joint U.S.-Israeli operations against Iran that began on Feb. 28.