JERUSALEM (Anadolu)

Sharon Kdmi, director general of the Israel Airports Authority, warned Tuesday that receiving any additional US refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv would force the airport to cancel flights and delay others.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted Kdmi as saying that Ben Gurion Airport "would not be able to carry out all scheduled flights if it had to receive additional US refueling planes."

He added: "We are doing everything we can to avoid flight cancellations. There are US refueling planes at our facility and at other locations. We are in contact with the air force, and each party is doing its part."

Kdmi explained that the airport has reached its maximum operational capacity, adding: "We cannot accommodate even one additional refueling plane, and if another plane comes in, we will begin canceling flights."

He called on passengers to prepare for possible flight cancellations or delays, stressing that "Ben Gurion is a civilian airport" and its capacity to accommodate military aircraft is limited.

On Monday, Israeli Channel 12 reported that 33 US refueling planes were stationed at Ben Gurion Airport, amid fears that Washington would send more to Israel.

It added that emergency discussions concluded that the arrival of 7 additional planes, raising the number to 40, would lead to the cancellation of about 30 flights daily, equivalent to around 5,000 travel tickets, starting from the beginning of next August.

The Israeli Ministry of Transport announced on July 15 that an agreement had been reached to reduce the number of US refueling planes parked at Ben Gurion Airport to 20 by the 21st of the same month, and to move the rest to bases belonging to the Israeli Air Force.

The ministry said the measure aims to ensure the continuation of military activity while maintaining regular civil aviation traffic during the peak summer travel season.

However, the US military later froze the plan to withdraw the refueling planes, amid renewed confrontation with Iran, while Israeli reports indicated the arrival of additional planes and the stay of those scheduled to be moved from the airport.

Ben Gurion Airport is experiencing increasing operational pressure during July and August, which represent the peak of the summer travel season, with more than half a million passengers expected to pass through the airport this week.

US refueling planes have been present at Ben Gurion Airport and other bases inside Israel since the outbreak of the war on Iran on February 28, 2026.

With the renewed confrontation between Washington and Tehran, the United States began redeploying more refueling planes in the region, while Israel has not publicly participated in the latest rounds of US attacks on Iran as of Tuesday.

On July 8, US President Donald Trump announced that the cease-fire memorandum signed with Iran last June "has ended," accusing Tehran of not adhering to it.

The announcement came after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz and renewed disagreement over regulating navigation in the passage, as Washington demands it be opened without restrictions, while Tehran insists that ships pass through a channel near its coasts and be subject to an Iranian mechanism.