Countdown To A Bigger War? Iran Warns Of ‘Zero Hour’, US Readies Aircraft Deployment To Israel
Countdown To A Bigger War? Iran Warns Of ‘Zero Hour’, US Readies Aircraft Deployment To Israel Published By, Last Updated: July 18, 2026, 08:07 IST
Countdown To A Bigger War? Iran Warns Of ‘Zero Hour’, US Readies Aircraft Deployment To Israel Published By, Last Updated: July 18, 2026, 08:07 IST The proposed deployment comes as US weighs a broader campaign targeting critical infrastructure and nuclear-linked facilities inside Iran. Rapid Read The US Supreme Court in late June refused to hear Trump's appeal against the original May 2023 judgment, essentially making that decision final. (Reuters File) The United States is preparing to send dozens of additional aerial refuelling aircraft to Israel as President Donald Trump considers a significant expansion of military operations against Iran, Axios reported. The proposed deployment comes after Trump was presented with several new military plans during a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday. The options under consideration could widen the campaign beyond the current US strikes around the Strait of Hormuz and target critical infrastructure and nuclear-linked facilities inside Iran. Trump has not taken a final decision, but US and Israeli officials told Axios that he could order an escalation in the coming days. US Weighs Wider Strikes Inside Iran Among the options being considered are attacks on Iranian power plants and further strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities, aimed at burying its enriched uranium stockpile even deeper and making it more difficult to access. Another possible target is the underground Pickaxe Mountain site, which is suspected of being a facility under construction. According to Axios, Trump appears willing to inflict enough damage on Iran to force it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept his demands over its nuclear programme. Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has been consulting Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine as he weighs his next move.
Dozens More Refuelling Aircraft Expected The US currently has around 30 military refuelling aircraft stationed at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv and roughly the same number at Ramon Airport in southern Israel. Israeli officials told Axios that Washington wants to deploy several dozen more aircraft in the coming days, restoring the fleet to approximately the level maintained at the beginning of the conflict. Aerial refuelling aircraft allow fighter jets and bombers to remain airborne for longer and sustain operations over greater distances, making them important for any prolonged campaign against targets inside Iran. The Trump administration has asked the Israeli government to accommodate the additional aircraft, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected to take the final decision on the request. US military officials prefer operating the aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport because other bases in the region are considered more exposed to potential Iranian attacks, Israeli officials said. US Targets Bridges Near Bandar Abbas The planned deployment comes as US strikes against Iranian targets in and around the Strait of Hormuz entered a seventh consecutive day on Saturday. US forces bombed at least seven bridges around Bandar Abbas, a port city that serves as a major hub for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operations in the strait, according to a US official cited by Axios. The official said ammunition, supplies and reinforcements are transported through Bandar Abbas to other parts of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, meanwhile, has stepped up attacks targeting US military installations in Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait. The IRGC also claimed to have attacked an American base in Syria, although US troops had withdrawn from that facility several months ago. Iran earlier claimed that its ballistic missile and drone strikes had destroyed “several US refuelling aircraft and fighter jets" stationed in Jordan and caused “serious damage to many more".
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