U.S. refueling and cargo aircraft stationed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport since the start of the war with Iran will return to bases in Europe within 72 hours of a ceasefire agreement, a spokesman for the Israeli Transportation Ministry said on Wednesday.
The unprecedented deployment of U.S. military aircraft at Israel’s main civilian airport, which began in February, will be withdrawn only in the event of a full truce with the Islamic Republic. The aircraft would then be repositioned nearby and remain on standby to return should hostilities resume.
The aircraft created a bottleneck at the main international airport outside of Tel Aviv after the April 8 truce took effect, as international carriers resumed flights amid a shortage of parking space.
Earlier this month, the director of Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority warned that the airport was effectively being turned into a military base, undermining its normal operations.
Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev subsequently called for the American aircraft to be relocated to IDF military bases.
