US sending dozens of refueling aircraft to Israel ahead of potential attack on Iran

The US has reportedly notified Israel that it is sending dozens of additional refueling aircraft to Israel, as US President Donald Trump weighs launching another massive bombing offensive against Iran.

US and Israeli officials tell the Axios news site that Trump could escalate the strikes against Iran in the coming days, following six consecutive nights of American bombing campaigns of targets across Iran, after the breakdown of last month’s MOU.

There are currently 33 US aerial refueling tankers parked at Ben Gurion Airport, which has crowded out other planes used for commercial flights. Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced earlier this week that the number would drop to 20, as she tries to prevent summer flight disruptions — although a report suggested that Regev may seek in October to use them as an excuse to try and halt charter flights of Israeli returning to vote in the upcoming election.

While Regev said the US military aircraft would be directed to land at Israeli military bases instead, CENTCOM reportedly prefers the access and infrastructure of Ben Gurion Airport.

The Axios news site first says the US “notified” Israel of the planned arrival of additional refuelers, suggesting Jerusalem doesn’t have a say in the matter, but the report later says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have a final say on the issue.

An unsourced report from the Ynet news site says the additional planes in question heading for Israel are not expected to land at Ben Gurion Airport, and that five to eight planes are slated to arrive per day.