The Drive:
Israel has dropped plans to send F-15 jet fighters to a major U.S. Air Force exercise in Alaska for the first time. The decision comes amid a burst of Israeli air strikes against Iranian forces and their proxies in Syria, including a recent operation over that country that reportedly destroyed one of Iran’s Russian-made Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile systems.
Various Israeli media outlets first reported the change in the composition of Israel’s contingent heading to Red Flag Alaska 18-1 on April 17, 2018. The exercise, which officially begins at Eielson Air Force Base on April 30, 2018, consists of a variety of air-to-air, air-to-ground, and other supporting training activities combined with the added factor of Alaska’s colder climate.
Other Israeli Air Force aircraft and personnel, including at least one KC-707 aerial refueling tanker, will still participate in the event. “Israel’s first participation in the Red Flag exercise in Alaska will take place as planned,” a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Haaretz. “According with assessments of the situation the air force has decided to tailor the participation of its planes.”
