Joint Israeli-American Air Exercise for Responding to Threats and Striking Designated Targets

The Israeli military announced on Sunday, January 16, that the country’s air force, alongside a team of pilots from several squadrons of the U.S. Air Force, conducted a series of exercises for “joint response to air threats” and “strikes on designated targets through training, cooperation and mutual development, simulation”.

These exercises were held last week under the name “Desert Falcon” in Israel, but the country made them public at the end of the drill.

The Israeli military said on Sunday, January 16, in a statement that this exercise is an “important milestone in strengthening international strategic cooperation with the U.S. Air Force and helps prepare Israeli forces.”

Israeli newspaper “Makor Rishon” called the exercise “a clear message” to Iran, writing that the country is strengthening an international coalition “against growing threats, especially from Iran.”

According to Israeli media reports, the country’s air force, including with F-16I fighter jets in Squadron 119, “Gulfstream-500” spy planes, the “Red Squadron” group, as well as helicopters, conducted the exercise.

From the U.S. Air Force Central Command headquarters, known as AFCENT, fighter jets from combat squadron 55, alongside Israeli aircraft, flew over the southern part of the country.

The American and Israeli fighter jets participating in this exercise took off from the “Uvda” air base in the Negev Desert. According to Israeli media, it was not combat capability, but rather linguistic coordination and strengthening mutual understanding of data and maps that was the main focus of the exercise.

This is the latest joint air exercise between Israel and the United States since Israel’s transfer to the area of responsibility of CENTCOM, the U.S. Central Command.

Donald Trump, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Forces in the final days of his presidency, ordered that Israel be transferred from the European Command’s area of responsibility, known as EUCOM, to the military jurisdiction of CENTCOM. The Joe Biden administration implemented this transfer.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s transfer to CENTCOM’s area of responsibility has not only simplified Israel’s cooperation with U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East region, but has also created an opportunity to form a regional coalition with Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel.

Three months ago, in an unprecedented exercise between Israel and the United States in the Red Sea, Bahrain and the UAE, which now have full political relations with Israel, also participated.

Israeli media have assessed that the increase in their country’s cooperation with CENTCOM, as well as with Persian Gulf monarchies, will help Israel in confronting what this country calls “threats stemming from Iran.”

In the past year and a half, Israeli fighter jets have escorted American B-52 strategic bombers every time they have flown through Israeli airspace toward the Persian Gulf.

In many cases, it was said that the accompaniment of Israeli jets as well as fighter jets from some regional Arab countries with American strategic aircraft was to “warn Iran.”

The latest Israeli-American air exercise was conducted at a time when the Israeli military has spoken of its preparation process ahead of a possible decision regarding an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Senior Israeli political and military officials have said that if Iran’s nuclear program is not contained through diplomatic means, they have both the readiness and attack plans, which they can even implement “without America.”

The Israeli government reiterated last week that it will not be bound by any agreement reached from ongoing negotiations between Iran, world powers and America in Vienna, and that does not meet Israel’s views on containing Iran’s nuclear program.

Source: Radio Farda