Transport Minister Miri Regev said dozens of American refueling aircraft are en route to Israel and will land at Israeli Air Force bases, not at Ben Gurion Airport. She stated that Ben Gurion is not a military base and that understandings have been reached to allow civilian flights with necessary balance, adding that the situation will be reassessed if needed.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev confirmed tonight that dozens of US refueling tankers en route to Israel will land at Israeli Air Force bases, not at Ben Gurion Airport. The statement, made at 22:06 Jerusalem, marks the latest development in a thread The Zioneer has tracked since Saturday evening, when a senior Israeli official first reported that dozens of tankers would return to Israel. By 20:13 Jerusalem that same Saturday, reports indicated the aircraft had already arrived and were being diverted to IAF bases and Ramon Airport to ease congestion at Ben Gurion — a decision attributed to Regev's efforts to prevent summer flight disruptions.
Regev emphasized that Ben Gurion is not a military base and that understandings have been reached to allow civilian flights with necessary balance, warning the arrangement would be reassessed if circumstances change. In a separate remark, she said that if the US expands its campaign against Iran, the operation would be more decisive and determined to end the campaign. The incoming tankers are part of the American aerial refueling force supporting regional operations, which has been a source of tension between Regev and the US administration.
As The Zioneer reported on Sunday June 14, Regev had called for the removal of US refueling aircraft from Israeli airports, escalating a rift with the Trump administration. By Friday June 26, she said the US had pledged to remove approximately 20 refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion by Tuesday. The US military was also reported on Tuesday June 16 to be preparing to relocate roughly 20% of its refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion ahead of a reported agreement with Iran. The new directive to land at air force bases appears to be a compromise, though the full details of the understanding remain unclear.
What remains open: The precise number of tankers en route, the timeline of their arrival, and whether the understanding with the US covers all future deployments or only this specific batch.
3 developments
- DevelopingRegev: Ben Gurion operating normally, US refuelers not returning amid evacuation
- StrongUS pledges to remove ~20 refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion by Tuesday, Regev says
- DevelopingRegev: Understandings reached on Ben Gurion operations, civilian flights to continue
- DevelopingRegev calls for removal of US refueling aircraft from Israel, escalating rift with Trump
Source and signal
- Internal intake