The IDF will simulate a strike on targets far from the country’s borders by deploying many aircraft on different fronts in a large-scale exercise called "Chariots of Fire," Israel’s military announced Tuesday.
The army, which is considering several military options against Iran in the event of a failure of nuclear talks between the West and the Islamic Republic, will train for one of the possible options.
Thousands of soldiers and reservists are participating in the exercise, which involves all commands, the air force and navy, as well as regular and reserve forces.
The purpose of the three-week exercise is to improve the readiness of the entire military and examine troops' ability to conduct a robust and sustained campaign against enemy forces on multiple fronts simultaneously.
According to the military, if a comprehensive campaign erupts in the country's north, Iran could act against Israel. In addition, Israel’s military is also preparing for the possibility that Tehran's proxies in Yemen, Syria and Iraq could target Israeli territory with missiles or suicide drones.
Simultaneously, the IDF is continuing to conduct military exercises within Israel's borders, amid the ongoing terror wave that has thus far claimed the lives of 19 Israelis over the last several weeks.
On Tuesday, the IDF decided to abort a planned military exercise in the city of Umm al-Fahm, the third-largest Arab city in Israel, answering to the city's mayor requests.
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An Israeli F-16 fighter jet en route to an exercise in Germany
(Photo: Israel Defense Forces)
On the sidelines of the stalled Iranian nuclear talks and while domestic counterterror efforts were contiuing, Defense Minister Benny Gantz traveled to the United States to meet with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin for discussions on the Iranian issue and the evolving changes and threats in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Erik Kurilla, arrived in Israel for talks with Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi on bilateral collaborations in intelligence and operations.