The United States is preparing to send dozens of additional aerial refuelling aircraft to Israel as President Donald Trump considers a significant expansion of military operations against Iran, Axios reported.
The proposed deployment comes after Trump was presented with several new military plans during a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday. The options under consideration could widen the campaign beyond the current US strikes around the Strait of Hormuz and target critical infrastructure and nuclear-linked facilities inside Iran.
Trump has not taken a final decision, but US and Israeli officials told Axios that he could order an escalation in the coming days.
US Weighs Wider Strikes Inside Iran
Among the options being considered are attacks on Iranian power plants and further strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities, aimed at burying its enriched uranium stockpile even deeper and making it more difficult to access.
Another possible target is the underground Pickaxe Mountain site, which is suspected of being a facility under construction.
According to Axios, Trump appears willing to inflict enough damage on Iran to force it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept his demands over its nuclear programme.
Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has been consulting Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine as he weighs his next move.
Dozens More Refuelling Aircraft Expected
The US currently has around 30 military refuelling aircraft stationed at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv and roughly the same number at Ramon Airport in southern Israel.
Israeli officials told Axios that Washington wants to deploy several dozen more aircraft in the coming days, restoring the fleet to approximately the level maintained at the beginning of the conflict.
Aerial refuelling aircraft allow fighter jets and bombers to remain airborne for longer and sustain operations over greater distances, making them important for any prolonged campaign against targets inside Iran.
The Trump administration has asked the Israeli government to accommodate the additional aircraft, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected to take the final decision on the request.
US military officials prefer operating the aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport because other bases in the region are considered more exposed to potential Iranian attacks, Israeli officials said.
US Targets Bridges Near Bandar Abbas
The planned deployment comes as US strikes against Iranian targets in and around the Strait of Hormuz entered a seventh consecutive day on Saturday.
US forces bombed at least seven bridges around Bandar Abbas, a port city that serves as a major hub for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operations in the strait, according to a US official cited by Axios.
The official said ammunition, supplies and reinforcements are transported through Bandar Abbas to other parts of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran, meanwhile, has stepped up attacks targeting US military installations in Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait.
The IRGC also claimed to have attacked an American base in Syria, although US troops had withdrawn from that facility several months ago.
Iran earlier claimed that its ballistic missile and drone strikes had destroyed “several US refuelling aircraft and fighter jets” stationed in Jordan and caused “serious damage to many more”.
Iran Warns US Forces Of ‘Zero Hour’
The IRGC Navy Command has warned that American military movements and equipment in the region are being monitored by Iranian naval units.
“The Americans are drawing closer by the moment to the zero hour of an operation by Iran’s Armed Forces against CENTCOM naval units in the region’s waters,” the IRGC statement, carried by Iranian state television, said. It concluded with the warning: “Wait and see”.
Despite the growing confrontation, Iranian forces have so far avoided directly attacking Israel, amid concerns that such a move could trigger a substantially wider Israeli response.
Netanyahu issued a warning to Tehran in a speech on Tuesday. “I can tell you only one thing, and I will say this to the leaders of Iran: Do not count on it being quiet if you attack us,” Netanyahu said.
“Do not count on a rerun. Because it will not be a rerun, and that was already powerful enough. This will be a different event, much more powerful.”
Deployment Could Disrupt Israeli Flights
The proposed deployment has also triggered a dispute within Israel over its possible impact on civilian aviation.
Dozens of US refuelling aircraft stationed at Ben Gurion Airport for several months had occupied significant space at the facility. This caused fewer problems during the height of the conflict, when Israeli airspace was largely closed and several international airlines had suspended flights to Tel Aviv.
With the airspace now open and summer travel underway, the arrival of additional military aircraft could result in widespread flight cancellations, Axios reported.
Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev, a close Netanyahu ally, has pushed for the aircraft to be moved out of Ben Gurion Airport or for their numbers to be restricted. The Israeli Defence Ministry and military have opposed the proposal.
The issue could also carry political consequences for Netanyahu’s coalition, with Israel due to hold elections in three months.
