The U.S. is sending dozens of refueling planes to Israel ahead of a possible expansion of military operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran. In coordination with the Israel Defense Forces, the U.S. has decided to reinforce the “existing fleet of aerial refueling aircraft stationed in Israel with additional refueling aircraft,” an IDF official told JNS on Saturday. The move is a part of a U.S. adjustment to its “force posture in the region,” the official continued. The refueling aircraft will land at Israeli Air Force bases to “minimize disruptions to civilian air traffic,” as well as due to “operational and logistical considerations.
“The preparations at the Israeli Air Force bases were made possible through advance planning conducted jointly by the IDF and the U.S. The IDF is making every effort to facilitate the deployment of U.S. forces in Israel while safeguarding the State of Israel’s international civil aviation needs,” the official added. U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing a massive offensive in Iran, after tit-for-tat strikes that have reemerged in the region in light of disputes regarding the free and safe transit of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported. Among the targets being considered are Iranian infrastructure facilities such as power plants and additional strikes on Tehran’s nuclear sites, the report continued.
The president has not made a final decision yet but could order wider military acts in the coming days, according to Axios. The U.S. currently has some 60 refueling aircraft in Israel, about half at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv and the other half at Ramon Airport in southern Israel, the report read. The U.S. wants to send several dozen more, matching the total number of refueling aircraft stationed in Israel at the beginning of the war on Feb. 28. (Read More)
