U.S. Ammo Flights Land in Israel as Military Prepares for Iran

Dozens of American cargo aircraft carrying ammunition from bases in Germany landed in Tel Aviv over the past 24 hours, Israeli television channel Channel 13 reported Monday, describing the deliveries as preparations for a possible resumption of war with Iran. The report has not been confirmed by the United States or Israeli governments.

Channel 13’s account came alongside a separate report from Israeli public broadcaster Kan, which cited an unnamed senior security official as saying Israel’s military is actively preparing for the possibility of renewed conflict with Iran — and that Israel would participate in any new U.S. strikes, with Iranian nuclear sites as a priority target. Both reports are attributed to Israeli media and unconfirmed officials; neither Washington nor Jerusalem has issued a public statement corroborating either claim.

The two reports coincide with military preparations on the Israeli side, as indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations remain deadlocked. Iran issued its own counter-signal Monday, with a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warning Washington that its naval blockade of Iranian ports constitutes an act of war.

What the Israeli Reports Say

Channel 13 reported that the U.S. cargo flights originated from German bases and that the scale of the airlift — described as “dozens” of aircraft in a 24-hour window — is consistent with pre-positioning for a significant military operation. The outlet did not specify the types of munitions involved, and the Pentagon had not responded to the report as of publication.

Kan’s report, citing the unnamed security official, went further: Israel has been drawing up plans to strike Iranian nuclear infrastructure as part of a coordinated response should a new exchange of fire begin. The official’s framing — that Israel “would join” U.S. strikes rather than act unilaterally — points to a coordinated posture, though the distinction between joining and leading could shift rapidly depending on how events unfold.

Neither Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office nor the Israel Defense Forces has publicly confirmed either report. The IDF routinely declines to comment on operational preparations.

UK Adds Anti-Drone Capability to Regional Force

Independently confirmed on Saturday, the United Kingdom announced it has fitted Royal Air Force jets operating in the Middle East with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, known as APKWS — a guided rocket designed to intercept drones at a fraction of the cost of conventional air-defense missiles. The British Ministry of Defense confirmed the deployment, saying the weapon was intended to strengthen protection for UK forces, British citizens in the region and regional partners.

The APKWS deployment is the first official British announcement to expand coalition air-defense capacity since Iran’s stepped-up drone campaign against Gulf infrastructure. Unlike the Israeli media reports, the UK deployment carries formal government confirmation and represents a concrete shift in the coalition’s defensive posture. It follows the weekend drone strike near the UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant and Saudi Arabia’s interception of three drones entering from Iraq — incidents detailed in earlier reporting on the Barakah attribution and Gulf escalation.

Iran’s Counter-Signal: Blockade Is “an Act of War”

While coalition partners moved to reinforce their positions, Tehran sent a pointed message of its own. Speaking on Iranian state television, former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei called the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports an act of war and demanded that Washington end it, warning that Iran’s military remained prepared for further confrontation.

Rezaei no longer holds an active command role, but as a former IRGC chief and current secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, his public statements carry weight as signals of the regime’s posture. Iranian officials have previously characterized the blockade — a U.S. naval interdiction campaign restricting Iranian oil exports — as illegal under international law. Rezaei’s characterization goes further, framing it as a justification for military response.

The warning tracks with Iran’s broader messaging since the conflict’s opening phase. Tehran’s Monday warning to the UAE over its ties with Israel — issued the same day as the Israeli media reports on U.S. ammunition flights — reflected a parallel pressure campaign aimed at Gulf states that host or support coalition forces.

Context: Where the Conflict Stands

The flurry of Monday’s reports lands against a backdrop of stalled diplomacy and sustained military posturing. Trump’s five conditions for an Iran nuclear deal have not produced movement from Tehran, and the indirect talks that briefly raised hopes for a framework agreement in early May collapsed without a joint statement. A CENTCOM briefing last week assessed that Iran has continued IRGC exercises and maintained readiness at missile sites despite the ongoing blockade.

The question of whether the U.S. is pre-positioning for renewed strikes — as Channel 13’s report implies — or whether the ammunition deliveries reflect routine resupply and deterrence maintenance cannot be resolved from open-source reporting alone. The reports show a pattern: the UK adds anti-drone missiles, Israeli broadcasters cite official preparations for nuclear strikes, and a former IRGC commander calls the blockade a casus belli, all on the same day.

What to Watch

The next indicators of whether escalation is imminent or being managed will come from official channels: any IDF public briefing, a Pentagon or State Department response to the Channel 13 report, or further movement in the stalled U.S.-Iran indirect talks. An absence of denial from Washington or Jerusalem would itself be notable. Iran’s response to the APKWS deployment and any additional Gulf drone incidents in the coming 48–72 hours will indicate whether Tehran intends to test the coalition’s expanded air-defense posture or hold its position.