Benjamin Netanyahu’s jet has departed Israel, heading out over the Mediterranean, as Donald Trump draws up plans to strike Iran. The Wing of Zion state plane has previously left the country ahead of attacks on Iran. However, officials denied that the movement was related to military action and said it was part of regular training. The jet flew to Crete on Wednesday before returning to Israel.
It comes as the US ordered the evacuation of air bases in the region, including an unspecified number from a site in Qatar by Wednesday evening. Al Udeid, the largest American base in the Middle East, houses 10,000 troops and was targeted by Iran in June in retaliation for US strikes on its nuclear facilities. Trump has made a series of threats against Tehran amid a bloody crackdown on protests in the Islamic Republic, with at least 2,500 people slaughtered. The President last night warned that if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei goes forward with hangings on Wednesday, he will take ‘strong action.’ On June 13 last year, hours after Israel launched its attack on Iranian nuclear and missile sites, the Wing of Zion took off from Ben Gurion Airport.
