Israel Limits US Refueling Aircraft Landings at Ben Gurion Airport

Israel announced on Tuesday its decision to limit the landing of additional US refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, to the agreed maximum of 20 planes. Other US aircraft beyond this number will be directed to land at Israeli Air Force bases. Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev issued these clear instructions to the Airports Authority. The primary objective is to prevent the cancellation of commercial flights, especially during the peak summer travel season. Local reports had indicated that some of the additional refueling planes previously arriving at Ben Gurion Airport had also originated from Gulf countries facing Iranian attacks. Minister Regev, in a statement, affirmed she conducted a comprehensive situation assessment, stressing the importance of facilitating citizen travel. She stated: "It is mid-summer, and hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens have purchased tickets for their summer vacations. We promised to facilitate these journeys and ensure no tickets are canceled because of American refueling aircraft." Regev reiterated: "Therefore, I have instructed the Israeli Airports Authority not to permit refueling planes to land beyond the agreed figure of 20 aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport. Any remaining planes will be diverted to Air Force bases." Concurrently, exceptional and temporary directives were issued to air traffic control, prohibiting American refueling aircraft from landing at Ben Gurion. These instructions are widely believed to have stemmed directly from the Minister of Transport's office.