US sends 10 transport planes to Israel as Trump prepares to strike Iran

An aircraft carrier and an additional Marine unit are expected to join approximately 20 warships already operating in the Middle East next month.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The United States sent 10 transport aircraft to Israeli Air Force bases in southern Israel as Washington and Jerusalem prepare for a possible renewed campaign against Iran, Kan News reported Thursday evening.

The aircraft landed at the Ovda and Nevatim bases after departing from Fort Bliss in Texas, which houses one of the US military’s largest air defense centers.

The base holds interceptors and air defense batteries, raising the possibility that the flights are replenishing Israeli stocks or transporting additional air defense systems, including Patriot batteries.

The flights were part of a broader US airlift to the Middle East that also included transport aircraft landing at bases in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The deployments follow a report earlier this week that the United States warned Gulf states of a “short and focused war in Iran.”

An Israeli official told Kan News that “Israel and the US are in close coordination, and although a decision has not yet been made on the matter, the Americans and Israel are preparing for any decision President Trump makes.”

The senior U.S. commander in the Middle East, Adm. Brad Cooper, briefed President Trump on military options against Iran on Thursday, alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The US military has also transferred a Patriot missile system from Texas to strengthen air defenses in the Gulf, according to a report published this week.

American soldiers at bases in the region were instructed to leave amid concerns about a possible escalation.

US forces in the Middle East are also replenishing their weapons stocks as additional military assets are expected to arrive in the region.

An aircraft carrier and an additional Marine unit are expected to join approximately 20 warships already operating in the Middle East next month.

The military movements come as no decision has yet been made on further action against Iran, according to the Israeli official. The deployment of additional American aircraft and defensive equipment nevertheless leaves US and Israeli forces positioned to respond to the course President Trump chooses.