JAKARTA - The Donald Trump administration has informed Israel of plans to deploy dozens of additional aerial refueling aircraft to the country as part of preparations for a possible escalation of military operations against Iran.
Axios, citing three US and Israeli officials, reported the move came as Washington prepared for a potential escalation of tensions with Tehran.
Earlier on Wednesday, citing a number of US officials, The Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump was considering an expansion of military operations against Iran, including the possibility of deploying ground troops to seize Kharg Island.
The Axios report said about 60 US military tanker planes are currently in Israel.
Around 30 planes were stationed at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, while another 30 were at Ramon Airport in southern Israel.
The US has also reportedly asked Israel to accept additional tanker planes, although the final decision is in the hands of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, the head of the Israel Transportation Authority, Miri Regev, is reported to have proposed reducing the number of US tanker planes at Ben Gurion Airport. However, the proposal was rejected by the Israel Defense Authority and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The US military is said to prefer using Ben Gurion Airport because it is considered safer for their aircraft operations than other air bases in the region. This condition sparked a debate in Israel because US aircraft now occupy most of the airport area.
Axios also reported that the arrival of additional planes could potentially trigger mass cancellations of civilian flights at the peak of the holiday season.
On June 18, Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding that regulates the cessation of the conflict that began on February 28.
However, since July 8, the US military has launched a number of waves of attacks against Iran. The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the attack was a response to Iran's actions against commercial vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, Iran launched attacks on a number of US military bases in the Middle East.
On Sunday, Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz until the US stopped intervening in the region after the two sides again exchanged fire.
A day later, President Trump declared the US would be the "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz. He also said Washington was re-imposing a blockade on Iranian ports.
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