US, Israel Conduct Joint Exercise for Possible Confrontation with Iran

A US Marine and an Israeli soldier practice urban combat during Juniper Cobra, a US-Israeli joint air defense exercise, in Zeelim, southern Israel, March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A US Marine and an Israeli soldier practice urban combat during Juniper Cobra, a US-Israeli joint air defense exercise, in Zeelim, southern Israel, March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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US, Israel Conduct Joint Exercise for Possible Confrontation with Iran

A US Marine and an Israeli soldier practice urban combat during Juniper Cobra, a US-Israeli joint air defense exercise, in Zeelim, southern Israel, March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A US Marine and an Israeli soldier practice urban combat during Juniper Cobra, a US-Israeli joint air defense exercise, in Zeelim, southern Israel, March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

A US Marines force and Shayetet 13 - the marine commando unit of the Israeli army – have kicked off military exercises in the Negev region and the shores of Eilat on the Red Sea.

Senior military sources in Tel Aviv said that the drills, which are the first of their kind, come in preparation for a possible confrontation with Iran.

The sources said that the exercises were among the topics that were discussed in a telephone conversation between Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and his American counterpart Lloyd Austin, under the title, “Coordination between the Israeli and American security services in operations aimed at preventing Iranian military entrenchment in the region.”

A statement issued by Gantz’s office on Wednesday said that the consultations included “measures to confront Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” noting that the two sides agreed to “meet soon to discuss strengthening security cooperation.”

The joint exercise is held in participation with the US Special Unit, Task Force 51, which is a rapid intervention unit that confronts complex scenarios. The unit was heading to a large US base in the Gulf region, when it received orders to conduct training in Israel prior to its arrival.

On the Israeli side, several naval forces are participating in the maneuvers, including Shayetet 13, which also operates on land.

According to Israeli reports, the exercises are conducted to counter scenarios “in which the Iranians try to seize a US consulate or ship in the region,” or to confront terrorist operations and conduct basic combat training on the use of special combat tools.

Channel 12 quoted an informed source in Tel Aviv as saying that these exercises were of “a special tactical nature, as they constitute the first integration between the US and Israeli armies.”



Pakistani Separatist Group Claims Killing of 7 in Bus Attack

Victims are shifted to a hospital following an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Harnai area of Balochistan province, in Quetta, Pakistan, 14 February 2025. EPA/SAMI KHAN
Victims are shifted to a hospital following an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Harnai area of Balochistan province, in Quetta, Pakistan, 14 February 2025. EPA/SAMI KHAN
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Pakistani Separatist Group Claims Killing of 7 in Bus Attack

Victims are shifted to a hospital following an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Harnai area of Balochistan province, in Quetta, Pakistan, 14 February 2025. EPA/SAMI KHAN
Victims are shifted to a hospital following an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Harnai area of Balochistan province, in Quetta, Pakistan, 14 February 2025. EPA/SAMI KHAN

A Pakistani separatist group claimed responsibility on Thursday for the killing of seven bus passengers in an attack earlier this week, saying the victims were affiliated with the military and intelligence services.
The attack occurred late Tuesday night when ethnic Baloch militants armed with guns intercepted several passenger buses on a highway in southwestern Pakistan.
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army group said in a statement its fighters attacked the buses and killed the men in Rakhni, a town in Balochistan province.
But local authorities dismissed the claim, saying the slain individuals were civilians with no ties to security forces, The Associated Press reported.
Though BLA mainly operates in Balochistan, it has also targeted Chinese nationals working on multi-billion-dollar projects in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Last year, BLA killed dozens of people in three separate attacks on vehicles in Balochistan, which has been the scene of a long-running insurgency in Pakistan. BLA wants independence from the central government in Islamabad.
Although Pakistan says it has quelled the insurgency, violence in Balochistan has persisted.
Pakistan is also conducting operations in the former strongholds of the Pakistani Taliban in the restive northwest.