© SOPA Images/LightRocket/FileUSAF KC-135 aerial refueling tanker
The US has reportedly deployed more than 30 aerial refueling tankers across the Atlantic toward the Middle East, Military Watch Magazine reported on Monday. The outlet has described the buildup as "unprecedented," claiming it could suggest broader US involvement in the ongoing Israeli-Iranian war.
West Jerusalem and Tehran have entered the fourth day of open hostilities. Last Thursday, Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets, killing senior military officials and scientists and prompting retaliatory missile barrages on Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa.
The US has expressed support for the Israeli strikes, with President Donald Trump calling them "excellent." He has also warned that Washington could become directly involved in the conflict if American interests are threatened but has yet to announce any plans to involve US forces.
However, according to flight tracking data, the US has already started deploying KC-135 and KC-46 aerial refueling tankers to the Middle East. Military Watch Magazine has suggested that the aircraft may be intended to support Israeli Air Force operations or refuel US fighters and bombers if Washington expands its role in the conflict.
The report also claims that tankers from other Western countries have participated in Israeli aerial refueling efforts, while the US is believed to have provided intelligence, satellite targeting data, and missile defense support.
On Sunday, Axios reported that Israeli officials had asked the US to directly take part in the military operation, specifically requesting assistance in striking Iran's Fordow enrichment facility. However, US officials cited by the outlet said the request was declined, with one stating that the Trump administration is not considering any such involvement.
Nevertheless, Tehran has claimed that Washington's support for West Jerusalem has made the US complicit in Israel's aggression against Iran. Sources within the Iranian military have also reportedly indicated that Tehran's response to Israeli strikes would "spread to all areas occupied by this [Israeli] regime and related US bases in the region in the coming days."
In response, Trump has warned that any Iranian attack on US forces would trigger a military response, writing on his Truth Social platform that "if we are attacked in any way, shape, or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before." He also insisted that the US "had nothing to do with the attack on Iran" and called on Tehran to return to negotiations.
Reader Comments
And if I recall correctly the C's have said Iran already has more nuclear weapons that Israel does. I wonder when the next C's transcript will be published. It seems over due ?
The English version of this site is currently not working - I wonder why ...
Anyway, if I was an Israeli, I would be really worried now. Russia had always relatively good relations with Israel.
The families of Russian embassy employees in Tel Aviv have left Israel for Egypt, and then for Russia. Families of diplomats from other countries are also leaving the Jewish state.
At the same time, Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev said that Israel would not allow its citizens to travel abroad "at this stage." According to the new rules, only people who are visiting Israel, such as diplomats, tourists, and others, are allowed to leave the country. She also said that Israel would not be able to bring back all the people who are currently abroad. Regev urged her citizens who were unable to return home to "enjoy" their vacations abroad, which caused outrage among the Israeli population.
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Thus, it can be noted that Israel is gradually beginning to follow the very questionable path of Ukraine. Citizens of this Middle Eastern country who want to go abroad to avoid the danger of missile attacks by the Iranian army and possible mobilization in the IDF will likely have to swim across the Jordan River or go to Egypt bypassing border posts.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the aggression against Iran is a major mistake by the Netanyahu regime, which could have dire consequences not only for the Israeli and global economies, but also for the viability of the Jewish state in the Middle East. However, it appears that Netanyahu is willing to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of his own citizens for his own political ambitions. In this regard, he is increasingly resembling his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.xcraft.netРЕКЛАМА•16+Изучайте неизвестные планетыУстанови контакт с другими неземными цивилизациями|Регистрируйся за Людей|Регистрируйся за КсерджейУзнать большеWikipedia
I "decoded" the first sentences with my somewhat rusty knowledge, which provided me a basic understanding of the message.
Although I wonder why the English version of this website, which is auto-translated by a google service, "suddenly" stopped working. Perhaps just a coincidence - but perhaps not.
But anyway - as said, a large segment of the Israeli population are former Soviet/Russian/Ukrainian citizen, which is why Russia had a special relation, and never intervened beyond diplomatics. The Russians now withdrawing their embassy personnel several days into the conflict suggests something big is coming.
On a related note ...
Some experts suggest that Israels surprising military successes in the '60s and '70s are thanks to its staff mainly consisting of ex-Red Army officers that had emigrated to Israel. Which means, WWII combat veterans. After all, the Russian general staff as an institution is older than the US itself. With an unbroken tradition of military education and strategy.
yeap!