In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of War, a North American Aerospace Defense Command F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker over Western Alaska on Feb. 19, 2026. (U.S. Department of War / Getty Images)
By Joe Saunders July 17, 2026 at 2:27pm
One major military development is adding fuel to the projections that the U.S. is prepping for sustained action against Iran.
In an exclusive report Friday, the Beltway-centric site Axios broke the news that President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to station more refueling planes in Israel — aircraft capable of extending attacks by refilling warplanes with fuel in midair.
SCOOP: U.S. sending dozens more refueling planes to Israel ahead of possible escalationhttps://t.co/DPFujGBl3f
— Axios (@axios) July 17, 2026
The planes have already started arriving, Ynet reported.
The deployments come after Trump was given several options Tuesday for escalating military strikes on Iran, Axios reported.
U.S. strikes on Iran have been ongoing for a week amid Iran’s intransigence on allowing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that links Persian Gulf oil to the world market.
Do you want to see Trump hit Iran harder?
In an interview Tuesday with Fox News, Trump vowed that the pounding would only increase — and indicated it could be only a matter of days.
“Next week comes the power plants, next week comes the bridges,” he said. “We’re gonna knock out all their power plants, we’re gonna knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”
That could be taken as simple saber-rattling, but more U.S. Air Force refueling planes heading to Israel is a hint that Trump is running out of patience and a big escalation is coming soon.
Citing a U.S. official, Axios reported that on Thursday, the U.S. military bombed at least seven bridges around Bandar Abbas, an Iranian port city “considered a hub” for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps “operations in the Strait of Hormuz.”
“Ammunition, supplies and reinforcements go through Bandar Abbas to other parts of the strait, the official said,” according to Axios.
Meanwhile, Iran is engaging in escalation of its own, with attacks on American bases in countries in the region, Axios reported. The Iranian military also attacked public infrastructure in Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan.
U.S. officials think similar attacks are less likely against bases in Israel because Iran is less willing to risk provoking a major attack from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
However, the increased U.S. presence in Israel won’t come easily. In a country roughly the size of New Jersey, there’s a limit to the number of facilities that can handle the refueling fleet.
Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main international airport near the city of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean coast, was the main base for refueling planes at the beginning of the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury.
But at the peak of the travel season, it lacks room for the American military planes as well as commercial passenger aircraft.
“The presence of dozens of military aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport for several months has created heavy congestion and at times brought civilian operations close to a standstill,” Ynet reported.
The refueling planes will be stationed at Israel Defense Forces air bases, according to the outlet.
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Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro desk editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He’s been with Liftable Media since 2015.
Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He’s been with Liftable Media since 2015. Largely a product of Catholic schools, who discovered Ayn Rand in college, Joe is a lifelong newspaperman who learned enough about the trade to be skeptical of every word ever written. He was also lucky enough to have a job that didn’t need a printing press to do it.
Birthplace
Philadelphia
Nationality
American
