The US military is expected to deploy additional fighter jets and aerial refueling tankers to Israel in the near future, journalist Barak Batash reported on Tuesday. No details were given on the number or type of aircraft, and there was no immediate official confirmation from the US military or the IDF.
The report comes as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran remains stuck. President Donald Trump rejected Iran's latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, though he said he expects further talks this week. He also said he has not ruled out more military strikes on Iran before the US midterm elections in November.
If confirmed, the deployment would add to a major American air buildup in Israel since the war with Iran began in February. In July, as Trump weighed expanding strikes on Iran, the US sent dozens of additional refueling tankers to Israel, stationing them at Israeli Air Force bases rather than Ben Gurion Airport after congestion at the airport threatened summer flights. More than 60 American tankers had arrived in Israel by that point, including 33 parked at Ben Gurion. At the time, the US also moved F-35s from Britain and F-15s from Germany into the region, including aircraft specialized in suppressing enemy air defenses.
Aerial refueling tankers are a critical enabler for long-range strikes, allowing fighter jets and bombers to reach and remain over targets deep inside Iran.
According to Nitzan Shapira's report yesterday:
Two American fighter squadrons arrived during the past 24 hours at the Israeli Air Force’s Ovda base in southern Israel. These squadrons were added to those already in Israel.
Security officials explain that the main reason for their arrival is movements the Americans are making with their aircraft throughout the Middle East, and that the development does not indicate an escalation or a different level of readiness regarding Iran.
According to a security official, the Americans are still very far from the force levels that were present here on the eve of Operation Roar of the Lion.
