Reports Conflict Over U.S. Refueler Landings at Ben Gurion
Published
Israel’s Airports Authority instructed air-traffic control units Wednesday morning to allow U.S. military refueling aircraft to land at Ben Gurion Airport, according to multiple reports citing airport information. The instruction followed a protest from U.S. Central Command over a restriction imposed a day earlier by Transportation Minister Miri Regev. A later report said Israel was still barring additional tankers and would remove aircraft exceeding an agreed number. The accounts agree that U.S. officials objected and that Israeli officials were reviewing the tanker presence amid military needs and pressure on civilian aviation.
Sources
Difference in reporting
Sources factually disagree on whether additional U.S. tankers may land at Ben Gurion: Kan, Behadrei Haredim and Haredim 10 report that the landing restriction was lifted; N12 reports that Israel still bars additional tankers and will remove aircraft exceeding the agreed limit. The remaining facts are uniform: U.S. officials protested the restriction, and the dispute concerns American refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion.
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