JAKARTA - Senior officials of the United States Central Command (US CENTCOM) protested to the Israeli military over the decision to ban additional US aerial refueling aircraft from landing at Ben Gurion Airport, reported the Yedioth Ahronoth daily on Tuesday.
According to the newspaper, officials contacted Israeli military commanders and other security officials after Transport Minister Miri Regev ordered that no US refueling planes be allowed to land at Israel's main international airport for a temporary period.
A source familiar with the matter told the daily that US officials expressed anger over the decision, saying it directly undermined the operational needs of American forces in the region amid an ongoing escalation with Iran, quoted by Anadolu (15/7).
The officials described the refueling aircraft as a key component of the US regional deterrence and defense posture.
An Israeli military official also quoted by the newspaper called the US request "justified," describing the aircraft as a "strategic asset" and an important part of joint operational preparations related to Iran.
The dispute arose after Israel's decision to suspend plans to relocate a US refueling plane from Ben Gurion Airport to a free parking lot for civilian traffic during the peak summer travel season.
The newspaper said four additional US refueling planes landed Monday night without prior coordination, bringing the total number of planes stationed at the airport to 33.
It added that Israel and the United States had previously agreed to maintain 20 refueling planes at Ben Gurion from about 100 planes stationed throughout the region.
Earlier on Tuesday, Regev instructed airport authorities not to allow additional US refueling planes to land.
Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported that the airport authority warned that the continued presence of the plane could disrupt civilian air traffic and force the cancellation of about 50,000 plane tickets during July, the busiest month of the year for outbound travel.
The refueling plane has been operating out of Ben Gurion Airport as part of an expansion of US military deployments in the region amid an ongoing confrontation with Iran.
It is known that tensions have increased between the US and Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, with both sides launching attacks against each other despite a Pakistani-mediated memorandum of understanding aimed at ending their conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement.
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