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U.S., Israel start joint drill on ballistic missile defense

Xinhua, February 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israel and the United States started a joint exercise on Sunday focusing on defense against the threat of ballistic missiles, the Israeli army said.

The U.S. European Command and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) commenced the exercise known as Juniper Cobra 16 on Sunday in an eighth of a series of biennial exercises between the two countries since 2001, an IDF spokesperson said.

Overall 1,700 military men and civil contractors are expected to take part in the exercise, which is set to end on Thursday.

"This exercise is part of a planned training schedule that seeks to enhance interoperability between the militaries in the context of exercising defensive capabilities," according to an IDF statement.

Commander of the Aerial Defense Division, Brigadier General Zvika Haimovich, said the drill is a "significant milestone" in Israeli-U.S. defense cooperation.

Although military officials say the drill is not related to any current developments, the United States has recently implemented sanctions against Iran over its ballistic missile program, shortly after lifting sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program upon a deal reached in July 2015.

Israel is currently at the process of finalizing a ten-year memorandum of understanding with the United States regarding defense assistance. As one of the largest U.S. aid recipient, Israel receives around three billion U.S. dollars annually in defense aid from Washington.

Whereas both Israel and U.S. officials stress the strong security-related cooperation, diplomatic relations have been strained in recent years.

Most of the tensions have surrounded the different approaches towards Iran's nuclear deal which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vocally objected, calling it a "historic mistake."

The U.S. government has also recently deplored Israel for its policies towards the Palestinians in the occupied territories in the West Bank, and for a wave of right-wing legislation against left-wing organizations. Endit