Bulgarian Village Fears It Could Become Target in US-Iran Conflict

Bezmer, Bulgaria – News arrived on Saturday bringing relief to residents of neighboring villages: two US Air Force (USAF) refueling aircraft have left Bulgaria's Bezmer air base.

Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov confirmed the planes had taken off and left the country, while President Iliana Yotova stated, "For now, this mission has concluded." The US Air Force said the two Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, deployed to support Washington's campaign against Iran, departed to serve "other operational requirements."

The village had endured weeks of anxiety that these aircraft could turn southeastern Bulgaria into a target for Iranian attacks. Tehran had urged Bulgaria not to allow its territory to be used for US and Israeli military operations against Iran. Later, citing unnamed Iranian sources, the Financial Times reported that in the event of US escalation in Iran, Iranian forces had "considered attacking US targets in southeastern European countries such as Bulgaria" after Sofia approved the use of the Bezmer base for US refueling aircraft.

A woman working at a local grocery store, speaking anonymously, told Al Jazeera before the planes departed: "I pray to God that our village will not be attacked. We are afraid, but nothing depends on us."

Even with the aircraft gone, geopolitical tensions—and Bezmer's fear of being drawn into a US-Israeli war against Iran—remain. This week, Minister Stoyanov told reporters that Iran had run an effective hybrid campaign, supported by opposition Bulgarian politicians. He predicted "this hybrid campaign will continue" without elaborating.

In Bezmer, a village of about 1,000 people adjacent to the base, Bulgarian military aircraft have long been part of the familiar landscape. Many residents work at the base, according to Mayor Rosen Rusev, and the sound of planes overhead is routine.

But in late July, the Bulgarian government proposed, and parliament approved, the deployment of up to eight US Air Force Stratotanker refueling aircraft along with 250 personnel. Within just two days, residents of Bezmer and neighboring villages collected more than 3,000 signatures in opposition and held peaceful protests. They did not want their village to become part of the war against Iran.

Mayor Rusev said a mood of elation swept through Bezmer on Friday when residents realized the planes had left. "Now they feel their voice was finally heard. It happened exactly as they wished."

The government has tried to reassure the public. Minister Stoyanov said military intelligence identified no threat to national security, the US aircraft, or other facilities in Bulgaria. A UK assessment commissioned by the government reportedly judged the risk to be extremely low. But reassurances did not calm everyone.

As temperatures reached around 30 degrees Celsius, two friends, Dinka Todorova, 67, and Ganka Vlaeva, 78, sat on plastic chairs in the shade. Both have children working at the air base. Vlaeva said: "We shake day after day and pray that war will not come here. We are the first target, and many will die." Todorova added softly, "And the children too. Because of the ambitions of greedy people." Vlaeva expressed frustration with the government and lawmakers, accusing them of ignoring the residents' petition.

Not everyone in Bezmer shares that concern. Ivan, 33, sitting by the village church with his e-bike nearby, said "unfounded panic" had been spread "recklessly." "There is no danger to the village," he concluded. He was more worried about the possibility of interceptor missiles or "something from Russia via the Black Sea."

While residents protested, Antoniya Ivanova, whose father is a soldier at the base, hung a white cloth over an aerial photo of Bezmer. Cartoons were projected onto it for children "to relieve the accumulated tension." She said: "We are the most innocent in this whole situation. We don't want those planes near our homes."

As the afternoon cooled, children filled the playground. Tsonka Moskova, a village mother, said: "There may be a chance of attack, but I think the media is exaggerating. What will come, will come. Those above us decide—the government. They are to blame." An AS532 Cougar helicopter flew low overhead. No one looked up. Locals are used to Bulgarian military aircraft.

Mayor Rusev, an independent elected to his fourth term, spent days trying to balance residents' fears with official assurances. He said the protests were not aimed at toppling the government. "We just want full information about potential threats if the planes continued to be stationed here, and what guarantees there are for our safety." Social media made the situation more difficult, he added. On Facebook groups, officials and experts struggled to compete with thousands of comments, many speculative and alarmist. Military police also patrolled the village and the area around the base, which some found frightening, others reassuring.

While Bulgaria is within range of some Iranian missiles, several analysts argue Iran is unlikely—or lacks the will—to carry out successful missile attacks on Bulgaria or elsewhere in mainland Europe.

On Monday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the refueling aircraft had not conducted a single flight "southward from the airport," instead flying to other NATO member states for training and exercises. Also on Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said Tehran reserves the right to respond to "any action considered to support US and Israeli military aggression" against it. Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said: "We have no problem with the Bulgarian people. It was previously announced—and reports also confirmed—that some refueling aircraft left Bulgarian territory. As many Bulgarian citizens and politicians have acknowledged, this action is contrary to international law and amounts to supporting US and the Israeli regime's military aggression against Iran."

Back in the village, one woman said she was not afraid of threats from Iran. She declined to give her name or be photographed for this article. "I am certainly not afraid. God is keeping us safe. I lie down and sleep in peace, for only God makes me dwell in safety," she told Al Jazeera, quoting a verse from the Bible.