Senior sources say roughly 20 US aerial refueling aircraft are expected to depart in the coming days, in the first stage of a broader relocation from Ben Gurion Airport, according to Yediot Ahronot.
A new report from Yediot Ahronot indicates progress in talks to relocate US Air Force refueling aircraft stationed at Ben Gurion Airport. According to senior sources cited by the paper, the first phase will see approximately 20 planes depart in the coming days.
This follows a report published earlier today by N12's Nir Dvori that the US military was preparing to move about 20% of its tanker fleet from Ben Gurion, after previous reports had already indicated a resolution was emerging. The thread timeline shows three distinct phases: first, on Sun Jun 14 at 18:46 Jerusalem, initial reports said about half the tankers would be moved to IAF bases; that same evening at 18:46, a follow-up report specified a 20% figure; now a senior-sourced report adds that 20 specific aircraft are expected to depart in the coming days. The source quality has thus progressed from broad headlines to a concrete count and timeline.
Background from The Zioneer's published record: on Sun Jun 14, Transportation Minister Miri Regev escalated the public rift by calling for the removal of the refueling aircraft from Israeli airports; satellite imagery analyzed around Fri Jun 5 had shown 63 US transport aircraft at Ben Gurion. The wider context includes the Pentagon's reported plan, noted on Fri Jun 12, to reduce its global tanker fleet, and ongoing US air operations in the region.
Official Pentagon confirmation has not yet been issued, and the ultimate destination of the relocated aircraft remains unspecified in the sourcing. The timeline for the remaining 80% of the tanker presence at Ben Gurion also remains open.
5 developments
- DevelopingSolution found for aircraft parking shortage at Ben Gurion Airport
- DevelopingReports: US refueling aircraft at key points ahead of potential strike on Iran
- DevelopingRegev calls for removal of US refueling aircraft from Israel, escalating rift with Trump
- StrongAt least ten US aerial tankers now active over the Persian Gulf
Source and signal
- Internal intake