Netanyahu, Obama schedule Iran meeting
US president, Israeli prime minister to meet in White House on March 5th against backdrop of reports on possible Iran strike; Bibi to arrive in Washington next month for AIPAC conference
WASHINGTON – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Barack Obama in Washington on March 5th, the White House announced Monday.
The meeting between the two leaders will take place against the backdrop of a flurry of reports about the possibility of a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
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The president's national security advisor, Tom Donilon, presented Netanyahu with an invitation on behalf of Obama in a meeting in Jerusalem. THe prime minister is scheduled to travel to the American capital early next month in order to appear at AIPAC's annual conference.
President Shimon Peres will also take part in AIPAC's annual event and may meet with Obama at the margins of the conference.
Iran launches drill
Meanwhile, speculation on a possible strike continues, with American officials and military analysts telling the New York Times that an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites would be a highly complex operation and would require at least 100 planes.
According to the officials, whose assessment was published by the newspaper on Monday, Israeli jets would have to refuel in the air en route, fight off Iran’s air defenses and attack multiple underground sites simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Iran announced Monday that its aerial defense forces have embarked on a drill meant to contend with the threats to strike the country's nuclear facilities.
Iranian news agency Fares reported that the drill started in the Bushehr region, where one of Iran's nuclear reactors is located. According to the report, aerial defense forces embarked on "tactical maneuvers in order to boost preparedness for coping with possible threats on the homeland, and especially on its vital and sensitive nuclear centers."
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