America is preparing to further expand the military campaign against Iran. Under this strategy, it is sending dozens of additional air-to-air refueling aircraft to Israel, so that long-range fighter and bomber aircraft can conduct missions continuously without stopping. There are already more than 60 American refueling aircraft in Israel. According to the Axios report, Washington has informed Israel about this major deployment. Let us understand what this new war plan of America is, what is the situation on the ground and why the domestic politics in Israel has heated up regarding these planes…
1. How many planes are there in Israel and why are they being sent?
At present, Israel has about 60 American refueling aircraft deployed. 30 aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv and 30 aircraft at Ramon Airport in southern Israel. The Pentagon is preparing to send dozens more planes to Israel in the coming days. Its objective is to bring the aircraft fleet back to the level at the beginning of the war. The Pentagon wants to keep these planes at Ben Gurion Airport because the risk of Iranian missile or drone attacks on other airbases in the region is considered higher.
2. What are the options on the table for the Trump administration?
On Tuesday, Trump was informed about several new military options in the Situation Room of the White House. Trump is now considering major attacks inside Iran beyond the Strait of Hormuz. Although the final decision has not been taken yet, America wants to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and accept American nuclear conditions.
These are the possible targets
- Infrastructure: Bombing of Iran’s power plants.
- Nuclear sites: Strike Iran’s nuclear sites to bury its enriched uranium reserves deeper.
- Pickaxe Mountain: A suspected underground nuclear facility is being built on this site, which is on US radar.
3. Where are the attacks taking place?
American attacks on the Strait of Hormuz and the southern coast of Iran continued for the seventh consecutive day. America has destroyed at least seven bridges near Bandar Abbas. Bandar Abbas is a major logistics hub of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), from where ammunition and supplies are supplied to Hormuz. In return, Iran has intensified its attacks on US military bases located in Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait. The IRGC has also claimed to have attacked an American base in Syria, although the truth is that American soldiers had vacated that base months ago.
4. Why is there political uproar over these planes in Israel?
This military preparation of America has become a headache for Israel’s domestic politics. At the height of the war and Israel’s airspace was closed, the presence of these American planes at Ben Gurion Airport was not an issue. But now, with the summer holidays underway and commercial flights having started, the parking of dozens of giant military aircraft is threatening mass cancellation of passenger flights.
Elections are to be held in Israel after just three months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ally and Transport Minister Miri Regev has demanded that these planes be removed from Ben Gurion or their number be limited. But the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Israeli Army have opposed it. Washington has appealed to Israel to accommodate these planes and now the final decision has to be taken by Netanyahu.
At present, Iran has refrained from direct attack on Israel due to fear of heavy retaliation. Prime Minister Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that if Iran launched any attack on Israel, it would receive a more devastating response than before.
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