The Bulgarian village that fears becoming an Iranian target

Bezmer, Bulgaria – The news landed on Saturday, bringing relief to nearby villagers: two United States Air Force (USAF) refuelling aircraft had left Bulgaria’s Bezmer airbase.

“The USAF air tankers took off yesterday and left Bulgaria,” the country’s defence minister, Dimitar Stoyanov, announced, as President Iliana Yotova declared: “For now, this mission is over.”

The US Air Force said the Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, intended to aid Washington’s war on Iran, had left to support “other operational requirements”.

The village had spent weeks worrying that the aircraft could make their area in southeastern Bulgaria a target for Iranian attacks.

Tehran had urged Bulgaria against allowing its territory to be used for the US and Israel’s military operation against Iran. Later, citing unnamed Iranian sources, the Financial Times reported that in the event of Washington’s escalation in Iran, Iranian forces had “assessed striking US assets in southeastern European countries such as Bulgaria” after Sofia had approved the use of its Bezmer airbase for US refuelling aircraft.

“I pray to God that our village won’t be attacked,” a woman working at a local grocery shop, who requested anonymity, told Al Jazeera days before the tankers left. “We are scared, but nothing depends on us.”

Although the planes are gone, geopolitical tensions – as well as fears in Bezmer of being drawn into the US-Israel war on Iran once again – persist.

This week, Stoyanov told reporters that Iran had carried out an effective hybrid operation, aided by Bulgarian politicians in the opposition.