The administration of US President Donald Trump has informed Israel that it will send dozens of additional refueling aircraft to the country, in anticipation of a possible expansion of military operations against Iran.
According to three US and Israeli officials, President Trump is considering a large-scale attack on Iran that would be broader than the current strikes around the Strait of Hormuz. Options include bombing Iranian infrastructure such as power plants, attacking nuclear facilities to bury enriched uranium deeper, and bombing the underground site of Peak Axe Mountain, suspected to be a nuclear facility under construction.
Trump has not yet made a final decision, but US and Israeli officials have said he may order an escalation in the coming days, with the aim of inflicting enough damage to push the Iranian regime to open the Strait of Hormuz and accept US nuclear demands.
On Thursday, the US military carried out strikes against Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s southern coast for the fifth day in a row, bombing at least seven bridges around the city of Bandar Abbas, which is considered a hub for Iranian Revolutionary Guard operations in the strait.
In response, Iran has escalated its attacks targeting US bases in Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait, and the Revolutionary Guard announced an attack on a US base in Syria, even though US forces withdrew from it months ago.
The United States currently has about 30 refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, and roughly the same number at Ramon Airport in southern Israel. Washington wants to send dozens more, a move that is causing political tension in Israel, where the aircraft's presence for months has led to the near-complete closure of the airport.
With the airspace now open and flights resuming, the additional aircraft could lead to the cancellation of group flights, putting pressure on Netanyahu's coalition three months before the elections. Transportation Minister Miri Regev is pushing to move the aircraft out of Ben Gurion Airport, while the Defense Ministry and the Israeli military oppose this.
In a speech on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran's leaders, saying: "Don't count on it being quiet if you attack us. Don't count on a repeat of the scenario... This will be a different event, much more powerful."
This escalation comes at a time when negotiations between Washington and Tehran are ongoing, with Trump expressing his willingness to negotiate, but stressing that Iran has two options: either to reach an agreement or to face the completion of the military "mission," asserting that this "will not be difficult."
