Germany denies refueling Israeli jets during Iran strikes
Defense Ministry dismisses social media claims that German aircraft refueled Israeli fighter jets over Jordan
(ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (IDF) SPOKESPERSON UNIT / HANDOUT) A fleet of fighter jets and aerial refuelling aircraft seen as took off from the military air base on the Red Sea coast in Eilat, Israel on July 20, 2024.
BERLIN
Germany on Monday denied claims that one of its military tanker aircraft had refueled Israeli jets during airstrikes on Iran.
At a Berlin news conference, Defense Ministry spokesman Kenneth Harms explained that the German A400M tanker had been deployed to Jordan as part of a parliament-approved international mission against ISIS (Daesh).
"Our mission continues independently of Israel's military campaign in Iran. Air operations remain active, and I can state with certainty today that German Air Force aircraft have not provided refueling support to any Israeli fighter jets," he said.
Over the weekend, social media posts alleged that a German A400M tanker was visible on flight tracking websites when it accidentally activated its transponder over Jordan during suspected refueling operations with Israeli fighter jets. The aircraft's transponder then went offline shortly after.
