The Trump administration informed Israel that it will send dozens of additional refueling aircraft to the Middle East in the coming days, ahead of a possible resumption of fighting, Israeli reporters Dafna Liel and Amit Segal reported Friday evening. The deployment follows earlier reports of US tanker movements in the region.
The Trump administration informed Israel on Friday evening that it will send dozens of additional refueling aircraft to the Middle East in the coming days, ahead of a possible resumption of fighting against Iran. The notification was reported by Israeli journalists Dafna Liel and Amit Segal at 19:32 Jerusalem, confirming the development.
The story first broke at 19:05 Jerusalem, when Axios reported the planned deployment. Minutes later, the White House officially confirmed the move, and separate reports from Amit Segal and Barak Ravid (citing three US and Israeli officials) corroborated the plan. A further report at the same time indicated President Trump is considering a broad attack and has asked Israel to absorb additional tankers.
The deployment is part of a weeks-long pattern of US aerial refueling logistics. As The Zioneer has reported, on Jul 14 the US deployed six additional refueling aircraft across Israel overnight; on Jul 13, security analyst Yair Goldblatt reported numerous tankers flying over the Middle East; and on Jun 21, the US transferred six tankers to Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE. These movements have been ongoing amid the campaign against Iran.
The specific number of aircraft and their basing locations have not been disclosed. The scope of the potential attack and the target remain unconfirmed.
8 developments
- DevelopingUS military deployed ~6 additional refueling aircraft across Israel overnight
- DevelopingUS refueling aircraft take off from Israel, security analyst reports
- DevelopingMultiple US aerial refueling tankers depart Middle East
- DevelopingAdditional US refueling tankers land at Ben Gurion Airport from the Gulf
Source and signal
- Internal intake