Officially, the Israeli media is reporting that a major joint military exercise between Israel and the United States was canceled due to budgetary considerations. The exercise, which would have involved thousands of troops, would have been the largest-ever joint military exercise between the two allies.
It is quite doubtful that anyone reading such reports believes it, including Israel’s Channel 2, which reported on Sunday night that the cancellation is due to US fears of an escalation with Iran. The timing coincides with Iranian threats to close the Straits of Hormuz, a vital oil delivery route.
It appears the Pentagon called for the cancellation, perhaps overly sensitive regarding a possible reaction from Tehran as Israel is feared to be preparing a military strike, doing so without consulting with the White House or seeking permission from the latter.
The planned join exercise was names Austere Challenge 12, and it would have included a number of simulated attacks, including a missile attack against Israel, strikingly similar to real fears vis-à-vis Iran today.
As usual, the Office of the IDF Spokesperson released it standard statement that an event of such magnitude was planned a long time ago and therefore, one should not tie the planned agenda to current events.
A final decision to postpone or cancel the exercise has yet to be made by the United States but in Israel, the word is that it will not be happening in the near future.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
If the President of The United States had a spine he would realize that this is the perfect time to flex our military muscle and show our support for Israel…that is assuming he really wants to support them.???