JERUSALEM, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. administration has informed Israel that it will send dozens of military refueling aircraft to Israel in the coming days in preparation for a possible expansion of the fighting against Iran, Israel's Channel 12 News reported on Friday.
Citing senior U.S. and Israeli officials, the channel said that U.S. President Donald Trump may order an offensive in Iran significantly larger than the ongoing strikes around the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the report, Trump is ready to escalate the fighting in the coming days to inflict sufficient damage to force Iran to reopen the strait and accept U.S. nuclear demands.
Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that the security systems in Israel and the United States are conducting a dialogue over the escalation in Iran.
According to Kan's sources, recent U.S. strikes, which have already reached the Tehran area, could prompt a change in Washington's approach, which has so far kept Israel away from intervening in the fighting.
Both channels noted that the planned refueling aircraft deployment is expected to worsen the operational parking shortage at Ben Gurion International Airport, disrupting civilian flights.
Late last month, following a request by Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev, the U.S. military agreed to cut the number of refueling aircraft stationed at the airport from 72 to 20, but 34 are currently still there, Kan reported.
Senior Israeli officials told Channel 12 that the U.S. military prefers operating from Ben Gurion airport because Israeli Air Force bases are more vulnerable to Iranian attacks. ■
