US tanker aircraft leave Bulgaria after Iran threat
Two US KC-135 tanker aircraft have left Bulgaria's Bezmer air base, Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced on Saturday. The departure comes nearly a month after their deployment in the Balkan country drew sharp criticism from Iran, which had warned of potential attacks on US assets in the region.
The aircraft were temporarily stationed at Bezmer Air Base last month to provide refueling support for operations in the Middle East. Their arrival prompted complaints not only from Tehran but also from nearby Bulgarian residents, who protested out of fear that the planes could be targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.
According to Stoyanov, the two KC-135 planes left Bulgaria on Friday. He said their mission in the country had ended and that during their stay they did not fly to the conflict zone in the Persian Gulf, but only over the airspace of allied countries.
"Yesterday, the US Air Force planes and tankers left Bezmer base and flew out of Bulgaria. We worked in close coordination with the US government and had preliminary information," Stoyanov said, as quoted by Bulgarian media.
He added that all flights were conducted for training purposes over allied airspace, west-northwest of Bulgaria. "Unlike the exercise, which was conducted with 15 aircraft at Vasil Levski Airport, all flights were for logistical support of combat operations," he said.
Stoyanov assured that there was no information about a direct threat to Bulgaria's national security. He said the deployment had been carried out in full coordination with the US government and that all Bulgarian decisions were well-founded.
The deployment, which was approved by Bulgaria's parliament on July 22, had drawn a sharp response from Iran. Tehran accused Sofia of becoming complicit in what it called "aggression and war crimes" and warned that it was considering attacks on US assets in Bulgaria and Cyprus if tensions with Washington escalated again. Sofia dismissed the charge of complicity.
The United States has been at war with Iran since February 28, according to a report by the Jerusalem Post. The US government had requested the temporary deployment of the tankers under an agreement governing the joint use of military facilities.
The United States had not confirmed Bulgaria's announcement that the tankers had been removed, as of the time of reporting.
Meanwhile, some observers in Bulgaria view the departure of American aircraft as a negative sign, hinting at possible Russian involvement. Reserve Colonel Diman Georgiev told the Bulgarian news website Faktor.bg: "It is also a bad sign for our NATO allies."