|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/20/washington/20iran.html
U.S. Says Israeli Air Force Exercise Seemed Directed at Iran
[New York Times ] Michael R. Gordon and Eric Schmitt - More than 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighters participated in maneuvers over the eastern Mediterranean during the first week of June in what American officials say appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Israeli officials declined to discuss the exercise, saying only that the country's air force "regularly trains for various missions in order to confront and meet the challenges posed by the threats facing Israel." But the scope of the Israeli exercise virtually guaranteed that it would be noticed by American and other foreign intelligence agencies. A Pentagon official said one Israeli goal was to send a clear message that Israel was prepared to act militarily if diplomatic efforts to stop Iran from producing bomb-grade uranium continued to falter. "They wanted us to know, they wanted the Europeans to know, and they wanted the Iranians to know," the Pentagon official said.