6 additional US refueling aircraft heading to Israel amid tensions with Iran: Media

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA)—Six additional US aerial refueling aircraft are expected to head to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv as part of a broad US military buildup in the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran, the Times of Israel reported Thursday.

Citing unnamed analysts tracking open-source flight data, the newspaper said: “Five American KC-46 refueling planes will depart from Portsmouth International Airport in New Hampshire, and a sixth tanker will depart from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. All are scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport.”

The report added that several US refueling and cargo aircraft were spotted at the same airport earlier this week, along with the arrival of 11 F-22 stealth fighter jets at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, accompanied by logistical support aircraft and aircrews.

In recent weeks, dozens of US fighter jets—including F-35s, F-22s, F-15s, and F-16s—have been spotted heading to the Middle East, alongside dozens of refueling planes and hundreds of military cargo flights, according to the report.

The developments come as indirect negotiations between the US and Iran continue, amid Israeli media assessments that Washington could carry out a strike against Tehran, though no official military decision has been announced by US authorities.

In recent weeks, the US has reinforced its military presence in the region and signaled the possibility of military action to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear and missile programs and curb “its regional allies.”

Tehran has accused Washington and Israel of fabricating pretexts for intervention and regime change and has warned it would respond to any military attack, even if limited, while insisting that sanctions relief must accompany any restrictions on its nuclear program.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul.