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Joint US-Israel missile defence drill rescheduled

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Israel and the US have cancelled a massive missile defence drill planned for the spring, and rescheduled it for the end of the year amid concern the exercise could lead to an escalation with Iran.

The drill, initially scheduled for April and called “Austere Challenge,” would have seen thousands of US troops deployed in Israel and included the simulation of various missile-defence scenarios.

The drill was intended to increase coordination between US and Israeli forces to enable US missile defence systems to be deployed in Israel in case of an emergency. However, in recent weeks Defence Minister Ehud Barak led talks with the Pentagon about the possibility of rescheduling the drill and holding it at a later date.

The scheduled drill had raised tensions in the region amid concern that Israel was planning an attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities soon, and therefore was bolstering its defenses together with the US.

US military officials said they were in talks with Israel about rescheduling the drill toward the end of the year.

Later this week, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.- Gen. Benny Gantz will fly to Brussels for a meeting of NATO military commanders. Gantz will return to Israel on Thursday to meet Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who will be arriving in Tel Aviv for his first official visit.