Israel ups war training despite US discontent

Press TV
Friday, May 15, 2009

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is training against warplanes in service with Arab nations and Iran amid worries in the White House that Tel Aviv would start a war without US consent.

The IAF has trained against Soviet-designed MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters — loaned to Israel by an unidentified foreign country — to prepare its pilots for missions where they might have to fight a foreign air force, Israel’s Channel 2 reported.

The MIG 29, one of the fighter jets used by Arab countries and Iran, has been developed to counter American-made jets such the F-16, used by the IAF.

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“We have studied them and are using them to practice dog fights. It is a good opportunity to see how effective our Air Force can be in dealing with a possible adversary,” an Israeli test pilot told the channel.

The report comes amid US efforts to gain reassurance from Tel Aviv that it would not launch a surprise attack on Iran without notifying the Obama administration.

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

America’s spy chief and CIA director, Leon Panetta, was reportedly sent on a secret mission to Israel in early May to warn its leaders against launching a surprise attack on Iran.

Full story here.

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