US sending dozens of refueling planes to 'Israel' as Iran escalation looms: Axios

• US officials say Washington is preparing to send dozens of additional refueling aircraft to ‘Israel’ as tensions with Iran escalate.
• Axios reports Trump is considering broader military options against Iran, including strikes on infrastructure and nuclear-related sites.

The Trump administration has notified ‘Israel’ that it plans to send dozens of additional US military refueling aircraft to the country as Washington considers expanding military operations against Iran, Axios reported, citing three US and ‘Israeli’ officials.

The move comes as President Donald Trump reviews new military options following a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday, with officials saying the potential operations could extend beyond current US strikes around the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Axios, options under consideration include strikes on Iranian infrastructure facilities, further attacks on nuclear sites, and targeting the underground Pickaxe Mountain site, which US officials suspect could be linked to Iran’s nuclear activities.

Trump has not made a final decision, but US and ‘Israeli’ officials said he could order an escalation in the coming days as part of efforts to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept US nuclear demands.

Axios reported that the US military carried out strikes against Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz and southern Iran for the fifth consecutive day.

A US official said American forces struck at least seven bridges near Bandar Abbas, a key hub for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) operations in the strategic waterway.

The official said the area is used to move ammunition, supplies, and reinforcements through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has also intensified attacks targeting US bases in Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, and Kuwait. The IRGC claimed it struck a US base in Syria, although American forces had reportedly withdrawn from that location months earlier.

Axios reported that the US currently has around 30 military refueling aircraft stationed at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv and a similar number at Ramon Airport in southern ‘Israel’.

‘Israeli’ officials said Washington plans to send several dozen more aircraft in the coming days, bringing the number back to levels seen at the start of the war.

US military officials reportedly prefer operating the aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport because other regional bases are considered more vulnerable to potential Iranian attacks.

The deployment of US refueling aircraft has become a domestic issue in ‘Israel’, as the planes have occupied significant space at Ben Gurion Airport for months.

While the restrictions had less impact when ‘Israeli’ airspace was largely closed and commercial flights were suspended, officials now warn that the continued presence of the aircraft could affect summer travel and lead to flight disruptions.

‘Israel’s’ Transportation Minister Miri Regev, a close ally of Netanyahu, has pushed for relocating the aircraft or reducing their number, while the Defense Ministry and military officials have opposed the move.

Netanyahu warned Iran against launching attacks, saying in a speech Tuesday: “Do not count on it being quiet if you attack us,” adding that any future response would be stronger than previous actions.