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Dozens of US warplanes are stationed at Israel’s main civilian airport alongside Israeli military aircraft following a build-up that has continued despite the ceasefire in the two countries’ war with Iran.
Satellite images of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport analysed by the FT show at least 50 military refuelling tanker aircraft parked at the airfield in May. The number of military planes located at the airport, which is Israel’s main civilian link with the outside world, has risen steadily from the lead-up to the US and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February.
By early March roughly 36 tankers were parked at the airport, according to the satellite imagery. During the ceasefire that came into effect in early April, the number rose to 47. As of this week, the FT identified 52 military aircraft parked at the airport.
The US uses tankers to refuel fighter jets in mid-air. This allowed its forces to strike deep into Iranian territory during the conflict.
The presence of the aircraft was earlier kept under wraps, with an airport employee disciplined for posting a picture of it on a WhatsApp group, according to Israeli media. But the tarmac has become so crowded with grey US Air Force planes, mostly refuelling tankers, that they are clearly visible to civilian passengers and from a nearby highway.
Ben Gurion airport is one of the most protected sites in Israel, and has been targeted by Iran and its proxy militias several times, including a March 26 intercepted missile attack witnessed by an FT reporter.
But Israel’s multi-layered aerial defences, which have been bolstered by US missile defence systems, have successfully fended off assaults on the airport. An exception was a May 2025 incident in which a ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen hit a road near the site.
The airport — through which almost 1.5mn passengers passed in January — was closed to most foreign airline traffic during the latest war on Iran, reopening once the ceasefire came into force.
The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment, citing a national holiday. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport did not respond to requests for comment. US Central Command declined to comment.
A pilot for the national carrier, El Al, said the airline’s safety protocols now required liaising with the military to co-ordinate operating schedules and take-off and landing procedures.
“You are having discussions with civilian air traffic controllers and military personnel at the same time,” said the pilot, who had earlier flown warplanes for the Israeli Air Force. “The risk is severe, not just from missiles, but also with airspace congestion.”
Israeli media reported this month that Shmuel Zakay, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority and a former Israel Defense Forces general, had complained to the government that the conversion of Ben Gurion Airport into a “US military airfield” was hurting the commercial operations of Israeli airlines, which are often forced to park their planes outside the country. Zakay did not respond to requests for comment.
Israel has military airfields including the large Nevatim air base in the south of the country. It was unclear why that site was not being used for the refuelling tankers.
The much smaller civilian Ramon airport, near the southern tip of the country, has also been used to park military aircraft. Analysis by the FT suggests the airport remained empty in February and March, but since the early April ceasefire at least 10 tankers have been spotted on the tarmac there.
During the war Iran damaged or downed at least 42 US Air Force aircraft, including five KC-135 Stratotankers and an E-3 Sentry surveillance plane parked at the Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia, the Congressional Research Service said this month. Two more Stratotankers were damaged in a friendly fire incident, killing six military personnel.
Israel’s Channel 12 News reported this week that there were ongoing talks to allow the refuelling aircraft to remain at Ben Gurion airport until at least the end of 2027.
Marko Milanović, professor of public international law at the University of Reading, said the de facto conversion of parts of Ben Gurion into a military airfield risked turning the facility once again into a target.
He said Israel was required by the Geneva Convention to make the maximum attempts feasible to “avoid locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas”.
Satellite image visualisation by Cleve Jones
Additional reporting by Jacob Judah
Credit: Source link
