US Refueling Aircraft Return to Middle East as Iran Conflict Nears Breaking Point

WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM, July 8: The United States has begun redeploying aerial refueling aircraft to its bases in the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran, while Israeli media reported that Washington may support renewed Israeli military action against Tehran.

According to Israel's public broadcaster KAN, Israeli officials believe the United States is likely to give the green light for Israel to respond militarily against Iran if the security situation continues to deteriorate.

"It is estimated that the Americans will give the green light to an Israeli response in Iran," KAN reported.

Channel 12 said Israel's defense establishment is closely monitoring developments following the latest exchange of attacks between Washington and Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold a high-level security meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz later on Wednesday to assess the evolving situation and discuss developments related to Iran.

The latest moves come after US President Donald Trump said earlier Wednesday that Washington would "probably" launch additional strikes against Iran following overnight attacks on Iranian targets.

Trump also declared that a memorandum of understanding signed with Iran last month to end the conflict was effectively "over."

Earlier Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had launched missile and drone attacks against 85 US military sites across the region, including Salman Port, the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, and Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait.

The Iranian strikes followed a fresh wave of US Central Command operations targeting more than 80 sites inside Iran, which Washington said were carried out in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest military deployments and diplomatic signals underscore the rapidly worsening confrontation between the United States and Iran, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.