Israel, US postpone missile defence drill

Jan 15, 2012, 12:37 GMT

Tel Aviv - Israel and Washington have postponed a massive joint defence exercise, which had been expected in the coming weeks, Israel Radio reported Sunday.

The reason was its high cost, the report said. An Israeli Defence Ministry spokesman was not immediately able for comment.

The drill, codenamed Austere Challenge 12, would simulate missiles fired by Iran or other antagonistic states landing in Israel.

Israeli media said it would be the largest ever joint US-Israeli exercise, involving thousands of US soldiers.

News of it came amid heightened tensions between US allies and Iran, after Tehran threatened it could close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil supply route.

But the Israeli military said the drill was 'part of a routine training cycle' and had been planned before the latest tensions.

The drill 'is not in response to any real-world event,' the army wrote in a statement last week.

In late 2009, Israel and the United States also held a huge joint missile defence exercise, involving about 1,000 US troops, alongside an equal number of Israeli military personnel.

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