Israel To Hold Joint Air Drills With US To Practice Strikes On Iran

The Israeli Air Force will hold large joint drills with the United States to simulate strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.

Releasing a statement on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces announced that the joint aerial wargames with the US military is to practice strikes against the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region.

The two-day drills will be launched on Tuesday over parts of Israel and theMediterranean Sea, and include long-range flights needed by Israeli pilots to undertake to reach Iran.

The maneuvers come after IDF chief Aviv Kohavi visited the USlast week urging the defense officials that the two countries must speed up joint plans for offensive actions against Iran.

“In order to improve our capabilities in the face of challenges in the region, joint activity with the US Central Command will be significantly expanded in the near future,” Kohavi said after returning to Israel.

The Islamic Republic began enriching uranium to 60% purity at its Fordow nuclear plant last week, saying the move was in response to the resolution criticizing its lack of cooperation with the IAEA.

That purity is below the 90% needed for weapons-grade material but well above the 20% Iran produced before its 2015 agreement with major powers that capped enrichment at 3.67%.