Photo Shows Long Line of U.S. Tankers at Israel's Ramon Airport
A photo shows a long line of U.S. Air Force tankers, mostly KC-135s, at Ramon Airport near Eilat in southern Israel. Israel's Channel 14 has reportedly counted more than 80 U.S. tankers across Israel as part of a Middle East airlift.
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A photo circulating on Nov. 1 shows a long line of U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers at Ramon Airport near Eilat. The aircraft are mostly KC-135 Stratotankers. Israel's Channel 14 has reportedly counted more than 80 U.S. tankers across Israel.
What the Photo Shows
The image shows grey tankers parked nose to tail on an apron in bright sun. Faytuks Network posted it on X around 13:49 UTC on Nov. 1, and outlets placed it at Ramon.
Clash Report has not independently verified when the photo was taken. The number of aircraft in the full line is not clear from the frame.
What Channel 14 Reported
Channel 14 said on Oct. 30 that an "unprecedented" U.S. military airlift had swept across the Middle East over 48 hours. It reportedly counted at least 10 heavy transport aircraft in Israel, alongside roughly 80 tankers.
The channel did not name the bases or the aircraft types. Clash Report covered the 80-plus claim when it emerged.
No U.S. or Israeli official has publicly confirmed the figure. Kan News separately reported that 10 U.S. transport aircraft landed at the Ovda and Nevatim air bases, some from Fort Bliss, Texas.
A Familiar Staging Point
Large U.S. tanker deployments in Israel are not new, and the counts have swung widely. Globes reported that Transport Minister Miri Regev cited 72 tankers at Ben Gurion and 26 at Ramon on June 14.
Axios reported on July 17 that about 30 tankers were at each airport. Satellite imagery from July 18 showed at least 23 aircraft at Ramon, Misbar reported.
Washington Has Not Decided
The buildup comes as President Donald Trump weighs renewed strikes on Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported that he spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, without giving details.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump had not yet decided whether to resume attacks, according to World Israel News. The U.S. has also warned Gulf states to brace for a new campaign after the Nov. 3 midterms.
Donald Blome, a senior State Department official, said the "hand of negotiation has been extended," AP reported. He added that Washington is also prepared "to go in another direction."
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