Israel’s Transport Minister Miri Regev capped the number of US military refueling aircraft allowed at Ben Gurion International Airport at 20, citing summer travel congestion. The Pentagon responded by freezing its planned withdrawal of remaining aircraft from the region.
What happened at Ben Gurion
The US had roughly 72 aerial refueling aircraft stationed at or cycling through Ben Gurion Airport as part of its regional military posture tied to the Iran conflict that escalated in February 2026. In June, the Pentagon pulled back 28 to 34 of those tankers as part of a drawdown commitment.
Regev’s July 14 order drew a hard line: no more than 20 US refuelers on the ground at any time. The reasoning was straightforward. Ben Gurion is not an air force base, and civilian operations were getting squeezed.
IAA CEO Sharon Kedmi put numbers to the problem. He warned that the continued military presence could force the cancellation of approximately 50,000 flight tickets by the end of July if nothing changed.
