Senior officials at U.S. Central Command have contacted the IDF’s top brass and Israel’s defense establishment in recent hours following the Transportation Ministry’s decision Tuesday not to allow additional American refueling aircraft to land at Ben-Gurion Airport at this stage, ynet has learned.
According to sources familiar with the details, the Americans were angered by the decision and made clear that it directly harms the operational needs of U.S. forces operating in the region amid the escalation with Iran. They said the refueling aircraft are a vital component of the regional deterrence and defense array.
A senior military official addressed the decision, telling ynet: “The American demand is justified. The refueling aircraft are a strategic asset of the United States in the region, and they are an integral part of the joint preparations against Iran. From an operational standpoint, it is important that they be able to operate under the conditions set by the Americans.”
The crisis erupted after the evacuation of U.S. refueling aircraft from Ben-Gurion Airport was frozen. The move had been intended to free up parking positions for civilian aviation at the height of the summer travel season. Four additional aircraft landed in Israel overnight, and 33 American refueling aircraft are now parked at Ben-Gurion Airport, occupying parking positions also used by civilian planes.
Following a situation assessment held Tuesday, Transportation Minister Miri Regev instructed officials not to approve, at this stage, additional landings of American refueling aircraft beyond those already at the airport. The Transportation Ministry said the decision was meant to reduce harm to civilian aviation activity and prevent the cancellation of tens of thousands of airline tickets in August.
An Israeli official said that as long as the Americans were not fighting Iran, the request to evacuate the aircraft was legitimate. Now, the official said, given the escalation in the Gulf, the request must be met, and quickly. Military officials described the period as a sensitive one with the Americans: “They changed their offensive moves against Iran, and it was expected that we would act in full cooperation with our partner.”
American refueling planes parked at Nem Gurion airport
(Photo: Kobi Koeneks)
After another U.S. refueling aircraft landed Tuesday, the Transportation Ministry said that “this tanker landed for refueling purposes only and not for parking, exactly and in accordance with the transportation minister’s directive. The decision that no more than 20 tankers will be parked at Ben-Gurion Airport was agreed upon and approved by the Security Cabinet in order to allow flights for the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who bought tickets abroad.”
Israel and the United States had previously agreed that 20 tankers out of 100 would remain at Ben-Gurion Airport, and their number had recently dropped to 28. Meanwhile, the four additional tankers that landed overnight did so without prior coordination. During the situation assessment, Regev said Ben-Gurion Airport is a civilian airport and argued that the tankers could land at military airfields, as had been agreed.
Despite the agreement, however, Ben-Gurion Airport is convenient for the Americans because it is an organized facility, close to Tel Aviv, hotels and entertainment areas. Israeli officials said there is no crisis from their perspective and that “everything is fine.” They also said the Transportation Ministry had informed the Defense Ministry of the decision and that the matter was being handled with the Americans. It is still unclear how the Americans will respond to the move and whether the sides will need to reach a new agreement.
Last month, the crisis at Ben-Gurion Airport threatened to cause the cancellation of more than 200,000 flight tickets in July and August. In the end, however, the Transportation Ministry announced on June 26 that Israel had reached understandings with the U.S. military to accelerate the evacuation of American aircraft parked at Ben-Gurion Airport, resolving the crisis. The reason for the crisis was that dozens of tankers were occupying a significant portion of the parking capacity for civilian aircraft. At the time, the Israel Airports Authority warned that without evacuating the aircraft, airlines would be forced to reduce their flight schedules.