Israeli Air Force holding joint exercises with United Arab Emirates, Italy, Greece, and US - Thomas Lifson

by Thomas Lifson

Arab potentates have discovered that Persian Shiites are an actual offensive threat, while Israel’s desire for peaceful existence is not.

It is a new era in the Middle East, with Arab anti-Israel solidarity a thing of the past. Arab potentates have discovered that Persian Shiites are an actual offensive threat, while Israel’s desire for peaceful existence is not. While it is common knowledge in the Middle East that on a de facto basis Israel is cooperating with Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, in addition to existing and open relations with Egypt and Jordan, until now there has been very little overt acknowledgement and recognition.

But this military patch for the INIOHOS 2017 joint training exercise underway on Greece openly and tangibly displays Israel’s flag next to those of the US, Greece, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates. 

Haaretz reports:

The Israel Air Force began a joint exercise on Monday in Greece that included dozens of aircraft from foreign armies. Dubbed Iniohos 2017, an official report for the Greek air force noted that the air forces of Israel, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Italy participated in the exercise. The training patch for the exercise includes the flags of the countries along with the slogan "Act with Awareness."
The Iniohos 2017 exercise is due to be wrapped up next Thursday. Photos from the past several days show F-16 aircraft from the United Arab Emirates alongside an American Air Force transport plane at the Greek air force base. The American army reported that it had dispatched 12 F-16C airplanes and close to 220 crew members to participate in the exercise. The joint exercise, according to a U.S. army report, is strengthening ties among the participating countries, maintain[ing] joint readiness and interoperability," the news release stated.

The Mad Mullahs of Tehran have managed to supercharge the process of reconciliation between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors, a process that is now robust enough that it can be openly acknowledged and commemorated.

This isn’t the first time for joint Israeli-Emerati exercises. Last August’s Red Flag training mission, was an “aerial combat training exercise in Nevada which [had] the participation of the air forces of Israel, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Spain, in addition to the United States.” But this time around, it is a step more open and officially recognized.

Hat tip: Tom Gross

Thomas Lifson

Source: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/03/israeli_air_force_holding_joint_exercises_with_united_arab_emirates_italy_greece_and_us.html

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.