The United States is expected to send ten refueling aircraft to Israel within the coming day, according to a source familiar with the matter cited by i24NEWS. The deployment is part of preparations for an expansion of military operations in Iran.
A new report Friday evening from i24NEWS, citing a source familiar with the matter, says the United States is expected to send ten refueling aircraft to Israel within the coming day — a more specific and potentially smaller deployment than earlier reports indicated. Earlier Friday evening, at 19:05 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported a series of confirmations that the Trump administration planned to send dozens of additional refueling tankers to the region, with the White House, US and Israeli officials, and Israeli reporters all corroborating the deployment. The new figure of ten aircraft, if accurate, would represent a narrower scope than the 'dozens' cited in the earlier updates, and the timeline of 'within the coming day' is also shorter than the 'coming days' mentioned previously.
The thread of reports began at 19:05 Jerusalem on Friday, when Axios first reported the US military deploying dozens of additional tankers. Within minutes, the White House officially confirmed the dispatch, and three US and Israeli officials told Barak Ravid (N12) that the administration had informed Israel of the plan. Israeli reporters Dafna Liel and Amit Segal (N12) then reported that the Trump administration had told Israel it would send additional dozens of tankers. A separate report indicated the administration had asked Israel to absorb additional tankers as part of a potential broad attack. The reports represented a rapid escalation in sourcing, from a single outlet to official confirmation and multiple corroborating sources.
The Zioneer has previously reported on the context of US-Iran operations. On June 10, analyst Yaakov Bardugo described the US strike on Iran as a limited exchange of blows, with the US still pursuing a diplomatic exit. On June 14, commentator Amichai Stein (i24NEWS) noted that Iran's downing of a US helicopter without casualties had still drawn a US response, suggesting that the recent attack on an American drone could similarly warrant escalation.
As of Friday 19:56 Jerusalem, the specific number of aircraft and the exact timeline remain unconfirmed by official US or Israeli sources. The i24NEWS report cites a single source familiar with the matter, and the discrepancy between 'ten' and 'dozens' has not been reconciled. The scope of the potential military expansion and the target of the operation also remain undisclosed.
10 developments
- DevelopingUS expected to relocate 20% of refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion; reports do not confirm 32-aircraft withdrawal
- StrongUS military to relocate ~20% of refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport ahead of Iran deal
- DevelopingUS military deployed ~6 additional refueling aircraft across Israel overnight
- DevelopingUS keeps 33 refueling tankers at Ben Gurion; aviation officials warn of 50,000 summer ticket cancellations
Source and signal
- Internal intake