Israeli-US Air, Naval Forces Train for Energy War
http://stratrisks.com/geostrat/5155
Israeli, Greek and U.S. militaries are in an exercise in preparation for
a possible war over Israel’s huge off-shore gas discoveries.
Israeli, Greek and U.S. forces are in the midst of a drill in
preparation for a possible war over Israel’s huge off-shore gas
discoveries, which also may contain commercializable oil. Lebanon and
Hizbullah have claimed the fields are in Lebanese territory and that
they will "defend" the area against drilling by Israel.
The
week-long drill is simulating air-to-air combat and anti-submarine
warfare and is taking place off the coast of Turkey, possibly signaling
it not to interfere with Israeli energy operations in the Mediterranean
Sea. The “enemy” forces will be similar to those of the Turkish air
force, according to the Defencenet.gr website.
Joint exercises also will take place off the coast of Cyprus and at the port in Haifa, with the participation of the famed U.S. Sixth Fleet.
The
United States and Israel also are preparing for a massive “Austere
Challenge” exercise this summer involving thousands of soldiers from
both countries.
Last week, a one-day drill included Israeli soldiers operating the Arrow, the Patriot, Hawk, Stinger, and Iron Dome batteries defense systems, according to DefenseProfessionals.com.
"The
ability of the formation to bring together all the defense systems is
amazing", said U.S. Army Col. Stephen Richmond, head of the 10th Army
Air and Missile Defense Command. “I'm very impressed with the capabilities presented here,” he was quoted as saying.
Russia is keeping a wary eye on the American-Israeli exercises
and is staging its own war drill in a Syrian port, according to
DEBKAfile. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned this week
against a pre-emptive strike, which he said would violate international
law.
A Russian guided missile destroyer reportedly sailed to the
Syrian port of Tartus for an exercise with what DEBKAfile said is
three-fold message for the United States that Moscow is supplying Syrian
President Bashar Assad with defense systems, that the Russian and
Iranian support of Assad will continue and that the deployment of the
warship illustrates Moscow’s ability for a rapid response to foreign
maneuvers.
http://stratrisks.com/geostrat/5155
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