(Israel, 20th) An Israeli military official said on Sunday (July 19) that Israel is preparing to receive more US refueling aircraft. Over the past week, mutual attacks between the US and Iran have continued to escalate.
According to Reuters, the Israeli official stated that the United States "has decided to adjust its military deployment in the Middle East" and will "send more refueling aircraft to strengthen the existing fleet of tankers stationed in Israel."
Another senior Israeli official said it is expected that dozens of US refueling aircraft will arrive in Israel.
The US embassy in Jerusalem has not yet commented.
Since February 28, when US-Israel coalition forces launched airstrikes against Iran, the US has deployed dozens of refueling aircraft in Israel.
According to an Axios report on July 17, the Trump administration has notified Israel that, before the US possibly expands its military operations against Iran, dozens more refueling aircraft will be sent to Israel.
An Israeli military official pointed out that in order to minimize disruption to civilian air traffic, and for operational and logistical considerations, the US has chosen to station some of the refueling aircraft at Israeli air force bases and some at commercial airports.
According to a spokesperson for Israeli Transportation Minister Regev, as of June 25, there were a total of 98 US military aircraft within Israel.