BICOM

The Israeli Defence Ministry said yesterday that it carried out a test firing of a long-range ballistic missile from the Palmachim base in central Israel. There was speculation over the timing of the test launch, amid news of a military strike on Iranian nuclear sites, however the ministry issued a statement saying that the test had been planned “a long time ago and was carried out as scheduled.” The army did not release any information about the type of missile fired. The Palmachim base is a launch site for a wide variety of Israel’s missiles and has been a testing ground for the Arrow Missile Defence System and the Shavit satellite launcher.

The test launch came after a week of reports in the Israeli media about whether the country’s prime minister and defense minister have already decided to attack Iran’s nuclear sites. Israel views a nuclear Iran as a potentially existential threat and officials in Israel await an International Atomic Energy Agency report scheduled to be released on Tuesday, which will likely address Iran’s military nuclear weapons programme.

In other news, yesterday Ynentnews reported that the Israeli air force completed a large drill with the Italian Air Force over the island of Sardinia over the past week. The maneuvers included several scenarios, including long-distance missions and midair fueling. Yesterday Ynetnews also reported that the Home front Command had announced that it would hold a drill simulating a rocket attack and a multiple-casualty event in central Israel on Thursday. The drill was scheduled in September and aims to test Home Front Command’s proficiency.