The Israeli and US armed forces have launched a series of joint air drills, the Israeli General Staff announced yesterday (Tuesday).
Fighter and refueling aircraft flown by the two nations will be exercised to counter various "scenarios" linked to "regional threats" for several days, the Israeli military summarized via Twitter. It did not go into further details.
According to a report in the online edition of the Jerusalem Post, this is one of the largest exercises of its kind in recent years. The newspaper explained that long-range flights will be performed so that the pilots can familiarize themselves with the operational needs of a possible escalation with Iran.
Israeli Chief of General Staff Aviv Kohavi announced last week, concluding a visit to Washington, that joint exercises between the two nations' armed forces would be "significantly expanded" in the "near future."
Israel accuses Iran of seeking to acquire a nuclear arsenal as a cover for the Islamic Republic's civilian nuclear energy program. Despite Tehran's denials, the Israeli political leadership sees this possibility as an existential threat.
Israeli politicians have repeatedly threatened that they may launch strikes against infrastructure of Iran's nuclear energy program, while opposing the return of all parties to full compliance with the 2015 international agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Negotiations between Iran and the other parties - Russia, China, China, France, Britain and Germany - to bring the US back into the CSTO and for the Iranian authorities to resume full compliance with their obligations, which they began reneging on in retaliation for former US President Donald Trump's decision to unilaterally withdraw his country in 2018, have been at an impasse for months.
Israeli former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the Likud (right), continues to negotiate with factions of ultra-Orthodox Jews and the far right to form Israel's new government. He is expected to put Iran at the center of his agenda, as in his previous terms.
Source: CNA
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