According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Reuters, an Israeli military official said on Sunday, July 19, that Israel is preparing to receive more U.S. refueling aircraft as mutual attacks between the United States and Iran have escalated over the past week. The official said the United States had “decided to adjust its military deployment in the Middle East” and would send additional tanker aircraft to reinforce the existing aerial refueling fleet stationed in Israel. A second senior Israeli official said dozens of U.S. tankers were expected to arrive in Israel. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem had no immediate comment. Since the U.S.-Israeli coalition launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28, the United States has deployed dozens of tanker aircraft in Israel. According to an Axios report on July 17, the Trump administration told Israel it would send dozens more tankers ahead of a possible expansion of U.S. military action against Iran. An Israeli military official also said some of the tankers would be based at Israeli air bases and commercial airports to minimize disruption to civilian air traffic and for operational and logistical reasons. A spokesperson for Israeli Transport Minister Regev said 98 U.S. military aircraft were in Israel as of June 25.
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