Shea Levin — text status

Israel and the United States are moving ahead with a plan to let American fighter jets stay in Israel for long periods. Teams from both countries have started planning a dedicated compound in southern Israel where U.S. aircraft would be stationed alongside Israeli Air Force planes. U.S. forces have been a steady presence in the south in recent months. American squadrons are at Ovda Airbase, and since mid-October at least 16 heavy C-17 cargo planes have landed there carrying Patriot and THAAD batteries and large stocks of interceptors.