Israel, US Conduct Missile Test In Mediterranean
Israel and the US conducted a missile test in the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday as Congress mulled a possible strike against Syria for allegedly using chemical weapons.
Analysts have said that the joint anti-missile system test shows that both nations are preparing to take on any aggression in the Middle East, including any possible retaliation for Syria.
Despite the tests, USA Today reports that Israel is worried President Obama isn’t completely committed to the Jewish State. It also wonders if the US is aware it could cause a regional war if it does attack Syria.
Syria has threatened to retaliate against Israel if the US strikes. They are also worried that a mild response from the bigger nation could embolden Iran, which Israel believes is developing a nuclear weapons program.
While analysts have said the Israel-US missile test was a show of power and cooperation, CNN notes that Pentagon spokesman George Little disagreed. Instead, he stated that “the test had nothing to do with the United States’ consideration of military action to respond” to Syria’s alleged chemical weapons attack.
Little added that the test had been previously planned “to help evaluate the Arrow and Ballistic Missile Defense system’s” abilities. He added that the US and Israel cooperate on several missile tests and defense development projects “to address common challenges in the region.”
The Israel Defense Ministry confirmed the test on Tuesday, saying that the Israel Missile Defense Organization and the US Missile Defense Agency worked together. The weapon in question was a new version of the Sparrow target missile.
The ministry added that the Super Green Pine radar, part of the Arrow weapon system, “successfully detected and tracked the target while transferring the information to the Citron Tree battle management control system.”
The Pentagon explained that the United States helped with the Israel missile test by providing “technical assistance and support.”
[Image by US Navy via Wikimedia Commons]
