By Steven Scheer
JERUSALEM, July 19 (Reuters) – Israel is preparing to receive more U.S. refuelling aircraft, an Israeli military official said on Sunday, as attacks launched by the United States and Iran have escalated over the past week.
The U.S. and Iran have intensified strikes since an interim ceasefire deal signed a month ago crumbled, raising the possibility of a return to all-out war. Israel has not joined the latest U.S. attacks.
The Israeli official said the U.S. had “decided to adjust its force posture in the region” and “to reinforce the existing fleet of aerial refuelling aircraft stationed in Israel with additional refuelling aircraft.”
Another senior Israeli official said dozens of U.S. refuelling planes were expected to arrive in Israel.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem was not immediately available for comment. Since the conflict began with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, the U.S. has stationed dozens of refuelling aircraft in Israel.
Citing three U.S. and Israeli officials, Axios reported on Friday that the Trump administration notified Israel that it was sending dozens more refuelling planes to the country ahead of a potential expansion of military operations against Iran.
The Israeli military official noted that in order to minimize disruptions to civilian air traffic, and based on operational and logistical considerations, the U.S. “chose to station some of the refuelling aircraft at Israeli Air Force bases,” as well as at commercial airports.
In May, Sharon Kedmi, director general of the authority, said 70% of activity at Ben Gurion — Israel’s main air gateway — was limited because of the space and resources being taken up by U.S. military activity. Since then, the U.S. agreed to move some aircraft to Israeli Air Force bases, according to a spokesperson for Transport Minister Miri Regev.
As of June 25 there were a total of 98 U.S. military planes in Israel, the spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Maayan Lubell, Aidan Lewis)
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