U.S. to Scale Back Refueling Aircraft Presence at Ben Gurion

The U.S. military is preparing to withdraw part of the refueling aircraft it has stationed in Israel, reducing a force that makes up about 20% of the aircraft currently deployed in the country. The planes have been based at Ben Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport over the past few months.

The move comes after Washington and Tehran reached an understanding on a memorandum of understanding meant to pave the way for a permanent end to the war. In recent months, dozens of American refueling planes were parked across large areas of Ben Gurion and Ramon, a presence that drew criticism from Israeli aviation officials.

Samuel Zakai, head of the Civil Aviation Authority, had previously warned that Ben Gurion was effectively being run as a "military base, not a civilian airport." Removing some of the aircraft could ease the current parking shortage at the airport.

For now, most of the U.S. refueling fleet is expected to remain in Israel, so the effect on Ben Gurion’s operations is likely to be limited.