The Defence Committee of the Bulgarian Parliament approved a government proposal on Tuesday, July 21, for the temporary deployment of U.S. aerial refuelling aircraft and military personnel at Bezmer Air Base, a move that prompted warnings from the Islamic Republic to Sofia.
According to the Bulgarian News Agency, the parliamentary Defence Committee supported a draft resolution by the Council of Ministers allowing up to eight U.S. tanker aircraft and 250 military personnel to be temporarily stationed at Bezmer Air Base in southeastern Bulgaria to support U.S. operations in the Middle East.
The report noted that the U.S. had requested that the deployment run from July 24 to October 1.
In response to an inquiry from CNN regarding the deployment, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated: “For operational security reasons, we do not comment on troop movements or potential future force posture.”
Hours earlier, the Islamic Republic had warned the Bulgarian government against allowing its territory or facilities to be used in support of U.S. military operations against Iran.
