Israel and the United States this summer conducted a joint simulation training exercise as part of continuing efforts to protect Israel from ballistic threats, at the same time that the Biden administration is renegotiating with the Iranian government to save the nuclear deal, according to reports Monday.
The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) in July held a joint simulation training exercise along with the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Israeli Air Defense Command, and the U.S. Air and Missile Defense Task Force, The Jerusalem Post reports.
The drill was held at the Israeli Test-Bed battle lab, which can simulate Israeli and U.S. air defense systems while displaying and recording data that assists in debriefings.
The Israeli military operated its Arrow, David's Sling, and Iron Dome air defense systems in the simulation, with the American forces operating the Patriot, Aegis, and THAAD systems.
The Biden administration's push to reinstate the Iran nuclear deal has come under fire from opponents who say that lifting sanctions on Iran will allow assets to go back under that government's control and allow more spending on the nuclear program.
In addition, in August, the United States charged a member of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps with plotting to assassinate John Bolton, former President Donald Trump's one-time national security adviser. Further, Trump administration Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was another of the targets of the alleged murder plot.
Last week, Bolton told CNBC that one of the immediate consequences of restoring the nuclear deal will be the "unfreezing of billions of dollars of Iranian assets, which will go back under their control, with their discretion to spend it on their nuclear program, their support for international terrorism in the Middle East, and beyond. It's a stunning mistake by the Biden administration."
However, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Becky Farmer denied Bolton's position and told MSNBC that Iran won't get such relief unless "comprehensive" inspections are conducted and without "imposing significant and verifiable restraints on its nuclear program."
Washington and Israel have come to an agreement that the U.S. will assist Israel with missile defenses during a war, reports The Post.
"This exercise represents another step in our extensive cooperation with the American air and missile defense forces," said Moshe Patel, who heads the IMDO. "The combination of the different systems significantly improves our forces' readiness to face evolving threats on several fronts simultaneously. The battle lab, which was developed at Elbit Systems by the IMDO and the MDA over the past 30 years, is constantly adapting to meet the challenges posed by our dynamic arena."
The defense leaders said the drills were part of the scheduled exercises between the two countries and not related to any specific threat.
However, Iran has more than 1,000 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and smuggles weapons to other operatives like Hezbollah, which reportedly has amassed 50,000 missiles on Israel's northern border, reports The Post.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who has recently returned from a trip to CENTCOM headquarters in Florida and Washington, D.C., applauded the joint exercise and said the relationship between his country and the U.S. continues to grow stronger.
Last September, Israel moved from U.S. European Command (EUCOM) to CENTCOM, and Brig. Gen. Doron Gavish said this summer's exercises were the first in which CENTCOM participated.
"The exercise was deemed very successful and constitutes an important tool to improve our readiness processes and the IDF Central Command's transition to joint activity with CENTCOM on both strategic and operational levels," he said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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