Major Us-israel drill postponed

JERUSALEM — Israel and the United States have agreed to postpone a major military defence exercise scheduled for spring, Israeli public radio reported yesterday.

The exercise, codenamed “Austere Challenge 12,” would be pushed back to the end of 2012 because of unspecified budgetary concerns, the radio said, citing military sources.

An Israeli Defence Ministry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the delay had not been finalised.

“No final decision has been made yet, discussions with our American counterparts are ongoing,” he said.

But Israel’s army radio, citing a defence official, said the drill was being postponed to avoid “unnecessary headlines in such a tense period.”

The joint manoeuvre was to have been the biggest yet between the two allies, and was seen as an opportunity for the two sides to display their joint military strength at a time of growing concern about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

The postponement appeared to suggest fears that the exercise could dangerously further ramp up regional tensions.

The Israeli army insisted last month that the manoeuvres were planned in advance and denied they were related to Iran.

“The exercise scenario involves notional, simulated events as well as some field training and is not in response to any real-world event,” the military said in a written response to a query.

“These exercises, which are part of a long-standing strategic partnership, are planned in advance and part of a routine training cycle designed to improve the inter-operability of our defence systems.” — AFP