US Sends More Refuelling Aircraft to Israel as War Plans Against Iran Expand

Washington: America is preparing to escalate its military campaign against Iran. As part of that plan, the Pentagon is sending dozens of additional air-to-air refueling aircraft to Israel. These planes allow fighter jets and bombers to stay airborne longer and carry out missions over greater distances without stopping. Israel already has more than 60 American refueling aircraft on its soil. Washington has informed Israel about the latest deployment, according to a media report.

How many aircraft are in Israel and why are more coming?

Around 60 US refueling aircraft are currently stationed in Israel. Thirty are parked at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. Another thirty are at Ramon Airport in southern Israel. The Pentagon wants to send dozens more to bring the fleet back to its wartime peak strength. The preferred location for the incoming aircraft is Ben Gurion Airport. Other airbases in the region are considered more vulnerable to Iranian missile and drone attacks.

What military options is Trump considering?

On Tuesday, Trump administration held a briefing in the White House Situation Room. Trump was presented with several new military options. He is now looking beyond the Strait of Hormuz and considering large-scale strikes inside Iran. No final decision has been made yet. But the goal is clear, that force Iran to reopen the strait and accept America's nuclear conditions. Potential targets on the table include Iranian power plants, nuclear sites holding enriched uranium stockpiles and a location called Pickaxe Mountain where a suspected underground nuclear facility is reportedly being built.

Where are strikes happening right now?

American strikes near the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's southern coast continued for the seventh consecutive day. At least seven bridges near Bandar Abbas have been destroyed. Bandar Abbas is a key IRGC logistics hub from where ammunition and supplies are moved into the Hormuz region. Iran has responded by intensifying attacks on US military bases in Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait. The IRGC also claimed a strike on a US base in Syria, though American forces had actually vacated that base months earlier.

Why are these aircraft causing political trouble in Israel?

The military buildup is creating a headache inside Israel's domestic politics. When the war was at its worst and Ben Gurion Airport was closed to civilian flights, nobody complained about American military planes sitting on the tarmac. Now that the summer holiday season is in full swing and commercial flights have resumed, dozens of massive military aircraft parked at the airport are threatening to force large-scale cancellations of passenger flights. Elections in Israel are just three months away. Transport Minister Miri Regev, a Netanyahu ally, has demanded the aircraft be moved away from Ben Gurion or their numbers be reduced. The Israeli defense ministry and military have pushed back against that demand. Washington has asked Israel to accommodate the planes. The final call rests with Netanyahu. For now Iran has held back from directly striking Israel, apparently wary of the consequences. Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that any Iranian attack on Israel would bring a far more devastating response than anything seen before.