US Plans To Withdraw Military Aircraft From Ben-Gurion Airport Within 72 Hours If Iran Deal Signed

The US has informed Israel of its intention to withdraw all its military aircraft from Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv if an agreement with Iran is signed, according to a report cited by Anadolu Ajansı, with Channel 12 saying the US fleet would be evacuated within 72 hours to bases in Europe.

“Voices of anger and discontent over the dense American military presence at Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel's main international gateway, are rising”

Al-Jazeera Net

Anadolu Ajansı also said the aircraft would be placed on standby to return to Ben Gurion Airport if fighting with Iran resumes, and it linked the developments to a Pakistan-mediated diplomatic process between Washington and Tehran to end the war that started with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28 and was followed by Iranian retaliation.

Al-Jazeera Net

The Jerusalem Post reported that, as part of preparations for the signing of the US-Iran agreement to end the war, Ben-Gurion Airport is ready to evacuate US Navy aircraft from the moment the agreement is approved, with most planes already moved from Ben-Gurion to the nearby Lod Airbase, also known as Air Force Base 27, which has been reopened.

The Jerusalem Post added that the preparation focuses on evacuation within 72 hours to nearby bases across Europe, and it said that if necessary and should the situation escalate, the aircraft will be placed on high alert at Ben-Gurion.

The Jerusalem Post further stated that US aircraft are expected to remain at Ben-Gurion through 2027, even as it described the immediate departure plan if the agreement is approved.

Voices of anger and discontent over the dense American military presence at Ben-Gurion Airport have risen, and Al-Jazeera Net described the airport as practically turned into an air base teeming with American refueling aircraft since the outbreak of the war against Iran in late February 2026.

Al-Jazeera Net quoted Yanir Kuzin, a correspondent for the Israeli Army Radio who accompanied President Isaac Herzog on a flight, saying that upon landing he did not see a single civilian aircraft, only American ones, describing the scene as "surreal."

Anadolu Ajansı

Al-Jazeera Net also reported that the Financial Times analyzed satellite images and counted at least 50 military refueling aircraft during May, after tracking about 36 aircraft in early March, 47 during the early-April ceasefire, and up to 52 aircraft observed this week.

The same Al-Jazeera Net piece said the War Zone reported that in February, before the war began, there were about 14 American fuel-transport aircraft (nine KC-46 and five KC-135), and it said 12 aircraft were moved to Ramon Airport in the south because the airport could no longer accommodate them.

In the Knesset’s Economy Committee, Al-Jazeera Net quoted Israir Airlines’ general manager Uri Sirkis saying the company is only allowed four overnight stands instead of 17, and it described a scenario where, when a stand isn’t available, you have to park the plane in Rome and perform the schedule in reverse.

The stakes of the US aircraft presence were framed in operational terms, with Al-Jazeera Net citing data from Ben-Gurion Airport for April showing a drop to fewer than half a million passengers passing through its gates and a collapse exceeding 73% compared with last year.

“As part of preparations for the signing of the US-Iran agreement to end the war, Ben-Gurion Airport is ready to evacuate US Navy aircraft”

The Jerusalem Post

Al-Jazeera Net said international flights fell by 66.67%, cargo by 26.8%, and it reported that El Al alone lost 68% of its passengers, while Israeli reports spoke of 200 employees being placed on unpaid leave.

Al-Jazeera Net also described a push to change the aircraft footprint, quoting Shmuel Zakai, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel and a former army general, as opposing the situation and saying Ben-Gurion Airport has "turned into a military airport with limited civilian activity."

Al-Jazeera Net further said Transportation Minister Miri Regev largely adopted the same position, and it reported that Channel 12 said she sent an urgent letter demanding the immediate evacuation of the American refueling aircraft from the airport, saying their presence causes severe harm to civilian activity as foreign airlines are gradually returning.

In parallel, thejewishnews reported that U.S. refueling and cargo aircraft stationed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport since the start of the war with Iran would return to bases in Europe within 72 hours of a ceasefire agreement, and it said the withdrawal would occur only in the event of a full truce with the Islamic Republic.