Israel and the United States will soon hold an exercise in which they simulate missile attacks on Israel from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, according to a report Sunday in the London-based Arabic newspaper Ash-Sharq il-Awsat. The exercise will reportedly be the broadest-ever in a series of ongoing maneuvers involving the two countries.
According to the paper, the drill is part of U.S. President Barack Obama's new missile defense plan, under which ships will be deployed with missile interceptors instead of stationing missile defense systems in Eastern Europe. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is scheduled to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday.