- Israeli media reported that the US is withdrawing some refueling aircraft from Israel as Iran insists Lebanon remains central to the agreement.
Key Developments
- Israeli media report that the US military is preparing to remove around 20% of its refueling aircraft from Israel.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the war cannot end without an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
- Iranian military officials reiterated warnings that any new attack would face a strong response.
The United States is preparing to remove part of its fleet of military refueling aircraft from Israel following the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, according to Israeli media reports.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Tuesday that the US military is preparing to evacuate a portion of the refueling aircraft currently stationed at Ben Gurion Airport.
According to the report, approximately 20 percent of the aircraft currently deployed in Israel are expected to leave.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan said the move comes in the wake of the memorandum of understanding reached between Washington and Tehran, which aims to establish a framework for a permanent end to the war and launch a 60-day negotiation process.
Large US Air Presence
The reports noted that dozens of American refueling aircraft have been stationed in recent months at both Ben Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport in southern occupied Palestine.
Their presence reportedly generated criticism from Israeli aviation authorities.
Shmuel Zakai, head of Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority, previously warned that Ben Gurion was being operated more like a military base than a civilian airport.
According to CNN figures cited by Israeli media, around 72 US military refueling aircraft are currently stationed at Ben Gurion Airport, occupying more than half of the available aircraft parking spaces.
At Ramon Airport, approximately 26 refueling aircraft reportedly occupy nearly 90 percent of available parking capacity.
Israeli media reported that while the withdrawal of some aircraft may ease congestion, most of the American refueling infrastructure is expected to remain in Israel for now.
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Iran: Lebanon Is Part of the Agreement
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the first phase of negotiations concluded after three months and that the memorandum’s implementation is scheduled to begin on Friday.
Speaking on Tuesday, Araghchi stressed that developments in Iran and Lebanon remain closely linked.
“The Iranian and Lebanese fronts are interconnected,” he said, adding that ending the war in Lebanon is one of the requirements for ending the conflict with Iran.
He also stated that the parties to the memorandum are the United States and Israel on one side, and Iran and Hezbollah on the other.
Araghchi reiterated that the war cannot end without an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
He further warned that any Israeli military attack on Lebanon from this point forward would constitute a violation of the memorandum of understanding reached with Washington.
Call with Berri
Araghchi also held discussions with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri regarding the agreement and developments in Lebanon.
According to reports, the Iranian foreign minister briefed Berri on provisions related to ending Israeli attacks on Lebanon, stressing that the clause should enter into force immediately and remain effective throughout the 60-day negotiation period.
Araghchi said responsibility for guaranteeing compliance rests with the United States and other parties involved in overseeing the agreement.
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Military Warning
Separately, Iranian Army Commander Major General Amir Hatami warned that any future attack would trigger a strong response.
“The enemy will face a firm and severe response if it makes any mistake,” Hatami said during a ceremony honoring those killed in the war.
He added that Iran would continue strengthening its deterrence capabilities to prevent future attacks and said the country was stronger internationally and along its borders than ever before.
(Al Mayadeen, PC, Israeli Media, X, AA)
LOL! Hey, Shmuel Zakai, did you discuss your Air force? F-35 can’t reach all the way to Tehran without an expensive, risky, relay air tankers going around in circles all the way & all the way back. Note: the headline should have been “… Pulling Refueling Aircraft from Israel …” or ” … Pulling Air Tankers from Israel …” or “… Pulling Aerial Tankers from Israel …”; the original sounded like ships (to me).