Washington, October 09: Israel and the US will hold their biggest joint air-defense exercise, dubbed Juniper Cobra, to test their missile interceptors.
The exercise will test three different anti-missile systems, including an upgraded version of Israel’s Arrow interceptor, as well as two American-made anti-missile systems, namely the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and the ship-based Aegis combat system.
Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, chief of the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet will oversee the exercise, which will begin next week. He will be the most senior American officer to be involved in the biennial event, Reuters reported on Thursday.
The war games, which will start on October 12 and run through October 16, have been described as a routine military exercise.
“This exercise is not related to or in response to any world events,” the US embassy in Tel Aviv said in a statement.
American forces taking part will include 17 ships and ground personnel operating the Aegis and THAAD missile interceptors, an Israeli official said.
–Agencies–