US military tanker aircraft leave Bulgaria after Iran tensions

Two US military tanker aircraft have left Bulgaria's Bezmer air base, announced Saturday by the defense minister in Sofia. The departure follows Iranian anger over their deployment. The US, at war with Iran since February 28, had requested the temporary deployment under a bilateral agreement. Iran called it complicity in "aggression and war crimes," a charge Sofia rejected. The KC-135s left Friday. Bulgaria's parliament approved the deployment on July 22, sparking local protests over fears of Iranian missile or drone attacks. Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said all flights were training missions and that NATO chief Mark Rutte assured Bulgaria an attack would trigger collective defense under Article 5.