American refueler and cargo planes were spotted at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Monday, amid a massive US buildup of military forces ahead of a potential attack on Iran. There was no comment from Israeli authorities regarding the American military deployment at Israel’s main civilian airport. The Boeing KC-135 refuelers and C-17 Globemaster cargo planes had arrived at Ben Gurion over the course of the preceding day. It was unclear whether they were in the country temporarily as part of a stopover.
At least two refuelers had arrived from Al Udeid base in Qatar — the biggest US base in the Middle East — according to analysts monitoring open-source flight tracking information. Around the same time, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, was seen arriving at Crete’s Souda Bay, likely as part of a supply stop at the US Naval Support Activity base located there.
US President Donald Trump ordered the carrier strike group to the Middle East earlier this month, to join another carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, that is already deployed to the region. The US is holding talks with Iran over its nuclear program, but has threatened to attack if they do not bear fruit. Trump also vowed to help anti-government protesters in Iran, before the regime killed them en masse last month. According to the Military Air Tracking Alliance, a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyzes military and government flight activity, more than 85 fuel tankers and over 170 cargo planes have headed into the region since mid-February. (Read More)
