Satellite images revealed a noticeable decrease in the number of American refueling planes at Ben Gurion Airport, after Israeli media announced that Washington had begun reducing the number of its planes at the airport, based on an Israeli request.
An image comparison analysis – conducted by the Al Jazeera Network’s Open Source Unit – shows that the number of American aircraft stationed at the airport, amounting to about 60 aircraft, remained unchanged until June 13.
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But the situation at the Israeli airport began to change after the signing of the Iranian-American agreement on June 17. Comparing images between June 18 and June 23 reveals a significant decline in the number of aircraft, as more than 20 American aircraft disappeared from their locations.
Analysis of 50 satellite images
The unit analyzed about 50 satellite images of the Israeli airport during the period from January 24 to June 23, which revealed how the civilian airport was transformed into a military one, leading to the current withdrawal operations.
A comparison analysis of the images showed that there were no aircraft refueling at Ben Gurion Airport 10 days before the United States and Israel launched the war on Iran, as the airport appeared devoid of any American military activity, according to the images taken during the period between January 24 and February 18 last year.
According to image analysis, American military activity began to appear noticeably beginning on March 5, as at least 30 refueling planes appeared on the entire eastern side of Ben Gurion Airport.
Satellite images taken from May 14 until June 5 reveal an increase to more than 60 aircraft.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz previously reported on June 4 that there were about 75 aircraft, causing pressure on the operational structure and financial losses for Ben Gurion Airport.
However, analysis of the images taken during the period from June 18 to 23 reveals a significant decrease in the number of aircraft, as more than 20 American aircraft disappeared from their places, leaving about 40 American aircraft refueling.
This development comes in the wake of the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran on June 18, and a round of negotiations that ended on Monday in Switzerland, aiming to stop the escalation and address the differences between the two sides through the diplomatic track.
Ben-Gurion’s military losses
According to Israeli estimates, revenue losses amounted to about $190 million, with warnings that they would rise to two billion shekels (about $540 million) if the situation continued until the end of the year, while Israeli airlines were forced to transfer some of their planes to European airports.
The head of the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority, Shmuel Zakai, had previously warned that Ben Gurion Airport had effectively turned into an “American military base,” which, according to his description, had caused widespread disturbances in the civil aviation sector and the work of airlines.
The “i24 News” channel reported the day before yesterday, Tuesday – citing two informed sources – that the step comes with the aim of reducing congestion at the airport and providing additional capacity for aircraft, in preparation for increased travel traffic during the summer season.
The two sources explained that the reduction does not reflect a reduction in the US military presence in the region, as the aircraft were transferred to other locations without detection.
Recently, voices of criticism of the American military presence inside Ben Gurion Airport have increased in Israel, as the airport has practically transformed since the outbreak of the war on Iran at the end of last February into a site where American refueling planes are accumulated.
Israeli Army Radio correspondent Yanir Kozin – after accompanying President Isaac Herzog on a previous flight – also reported a scene that he described as “surreal”, as he did not see any civilian aircraft upon landing, but only American military aircraft.
