Authorities in Bulgaria have yet to comment on recent video footage showing American military aircraft taking off from the Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia. The Ministry of Defense maintains that the presence of these planes is not connected to the ongoing conflict in Iran.

Earlier today, social media reported multiple flights, claiming that four aircraft had been active. These reports were not confirmed by the Air Traffic Control Service or the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Both institutions referred inquiries to the Ministry of Defense for clarification.

The Ministry continues to insist that the American aircraft are stationed in Bulgaria solely for training purposes under NATO’s heightened vigilance measures on the alliance’s eastern flank, and are not involved in any combat operations.

However, the Ministry has not disclosed the name of the exercise or confirmed whether Bulgarian personnel will participate, deviating from the usual practice of providing advance media notices for joint drills.

Photographs and footage shared by the BGNES agency show multiple US planes at the airport alongside tanker trucks. Aviator and journalist Alexander Bogoyavlenski reported on social media that as many as 15 planes are currently present at Vasil Levski Airport.

Officially, the US military’s presence is permitted until the end of May, but further details about their activities have not been released.