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Accelerating US-Israeli Military Cooperation Against Iranian Threat

Israeli soldiers stand next to tanks and APCs ahead of a large Armored Corps exercise that will take place in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, near the border with Syria, 14 November 2022. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israeli soldiers stand next to tanks and APCs ahead of a large Armored Corps exercise that will take place in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, near the border with Syria, 14 November 2022. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
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Accelerating US-Israeli Military Cooperation Against Iranian Threat

Israeli soldiers stand next to tanks and APCs ahead of a large Armored Corps exercise that will take place in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, near the border with Syria, 14 November 2022. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israeli soldiers stand next to tanks and APCs ahead of a large Armored Corps exercise that will take place in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, near the border with Syria, 14 November 2022. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Israel and the United States are developing “joint military capabilities at accelerated pace" to counter evolving threats in the Middle East, and especially against Iran, Israel’s army chief of staff Aviv Kohavi said on Wednesday.

Kohavi made the remarks during his meeting with Commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) General Michael Kurilla, who arrived in Israel on Tuesday in the fourth official visit since he assumed his post in April.

“We are operating together on all fronts to gather intelligence, neutralize threats, and prepare for various scenarios in either one or multiple arenas.”

The Israeli army said in a statement that Kurilla, alongside commanding general of the Israeli army’s Northern Command Major General Ori Gordin, visited the Rosh HaNikra crossing point on the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon and the Alpha Line between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights.  

Gordin briefed Kurilla on the security challenges along each border, the threat posed by the Lebanese Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, and the strategic importance inherent in preserving security on the Israeli-Lebanese maritime border.

Kurilla also reviewed the efforts exerted to prevent Iran from positioning its arms on Syrian territory and recruiting citizens to carry out operations.

The army said Kurilla met with Kohavi and other senior military officers to discuss Israel’s efforts to obstruct Iran’s plans to establish a large military presence in Syria and transfer its weapons to Hezbollah.

Kurilla also visited the Nevatim Air Force Base southeast of Beer Sheva and the 116th “Lions of the South” Squadron, which operates the F-35i “Adir” aircraft.

Kohavi, Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force Major General Tomer Bar, and Nevatim Air Force Base commander Brigadier General Gilad Keinan accompanied Kurilla.  

Kurilla and the army leaders discussed opportunities to improve integrated air and missile defense and regional security.  

He later met incoming army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, who is due to take office on January 17.

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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an invasion from the mainland.
The island’s navy highlighted its Kuang Hua VI fast attack missile boats and Tuo Chiang-class corvettes in waters near Taiwan’s largest port of Kaohsiung, a major hub for international trade considered key to resupplying Chinese forces should they establish a beachhead on the island.
The Kuang Hua VI boats, with a crew of 19, carry indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles and displayed their ability to take to the sea in an emergency to intercept enemy ships about to cross the 44-kilometer (24-nautical mile) limit of Taiwan’s contiguous zone, within which governments are permitted to take defensive action.
China routinely sends ships and planes to challenge Taiwan’s willingness and ability to counter intruders, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets, activate missile systems and dispatch warships. Taiwan demanded on Wednesday that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said is undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupting international shipping and trade.
Mountainous Taiwan's strategy is to counter the much larger Chinese military with a relatively flexible defense that can prevent Chinese troops from crossing the strait. Landing sites are few on Taiwan's west coast facing China, forcing Beijing to focus on the east coast.
Hsiao Shun-ming, captain of a Tuo Chiang-class corvette, said his ship’s relatively small size still allows it to “deliver a formidable competitive power” against larger Chinese ships. The Tuo Chiang has a catamaran design and boasts high speeds and considerable stealth ability.
Taiwan has in recent years reinvigorated its domestic defense industry, although it still relies heavily on US technology such as upgraded fighter jets, missiles, tanks and detection equipment. US law requires it to consider threats to the island as matters of “grave concern,” and American and allied forces are expected to be a major factor in any conflict.
Thursday's exercise “demonstrates the effectiveness of asymmetric warfare, and Taiwan’s commitment to defense self-reliance,” said Chen Ming-feng, rear admiral and commander of the navy’s 192 Fleet specializing in mine detection. “We are always ready to respond quickly and can handle any kind of maritime situation.”
China's authoritarian one-party Communist government has refused almost all communication with Taiwan's pro-independence governments since 2016, and some in Washington and elsewhere say Beijing is growing closer to taking military action.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de facto independence and democratic status.