In signal to Iran, US and Israeli forces to stage major military
drill
US: The United States and Israel are set to launch a major
military exercise in a show of unity aimed at Iran, despite friction
between American and Israeli leaders over how to counter Tehran's
nuclear ambitions.
The air defense drills, dubbed "Austere Challenge 2012," will unfold
later this month and last about three weeks, with 3,500 US troops and
1,000 Israeli forces taking part, officers said Wednesday.
"This is the largest exercise in the history of the longstanding
military relationship between the US and Israel," said Lieutenant
General Craig Franklin, 3rd Air Force Commander, who is overseeing the
drill along with his Israeli counterpart, Brigadier General Nitzan
Nuriel.
"This exercise will improve the cooperative missile defense of Israel
and will promote regional stability and help ensure a military edge,"
Franklin told reporters in a teleconference. But the drill is about more
than missile defenses. The elaborate exercise takes place at a
politically-charged moment, amid speculation about a possible Israeli
pre-emptive attack on Iran, a hotly-contested US presidential election
weeks away and parliamentary polls expected in Israel within a few
months.
The drill's "scenario is to deal with threats from all fronts,"
Nuriel, the Israeli commander, told the same phone conference.
AFP |