Yossi Yehoshua, a Yediot Ahronot journalist, reports that 90 US Air Force aerial refueling tankers are currently in Israel. The figure is the highest cited in recent days, following a similar report by analyst Ben Yaniv at 20:34 Jerusalem.
Journalist Yossi Yehoshua (Yediot Ahronot) reports that 90 US Air Force aerial refueling tankers are currently stationed in Israel, the highest publicly cited figure in the current buildup. The report comes eight minutes after analyst Ben Yaniv cited the same number at 20:34 Jerusalem, as The Zioneer reported.
The figure is significantly higher than numbers reported in previous weeks. On July 21, satellite imagery showed 24 US tankers at Ramon Airport near Eilat. Earlier, on July 19, a security source cited roughly 100 tankers planned for Israel, while reporter Itai Blumenthal noted on July 14 that Israel had requested 34, with the US committed to leaving only 20. A foreign source on July 21 claimed over 160 tankers had been allocated region-wide.
The deployment of US aerial refueling assets is widely seen as preparation for potential operations, though no specific mission has been announced. The reports remain single-sourced and unverified at this stage.
2 developments
- DevelopingBlumenthal: Israel wants 34 refueling tankers, US committed to leave only 20
- DevelopingUS military deployed ~6 additional refueling aircraft across Israel overnight
- DevelopingUS refueling aircraft take off from Israel, security analyst reports
- ConfirmedUS plans to deploy roughly 100 aerial refueling aircraft to Israel, security source says
Source and signal
- Open-source intake