Israeli Special Forces And US Marines Train Together For Combat Against Islamic Terror Groups

Western Journalism – by Yochanan Visser

On Saturday, Israeli media published unique images of U.S. Marines training with Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Air Force elite units in the Negev desert in Israel. The joint exercises took place last week and were meant as a preparation for operations against the Islamic State and other jihadist terror groups.

One joint exercise was dubbed “CAYA Green,” meaning “Come when you get the green light.” The drill included a landing operation from sea and involved Israeli Air Force and Navy special forces and American Marines. The Shayetet 13 unit of the Israeli Navy stormed the beach to secure it for the U.S. Marines, who landed under stormy weather conditions.  

The Marines came from the amphibious warship USS San Antonio, a troop carrier, and brought with them Jeeps and ship-to-shore equipment.

A Israeli naval officer told the Hebrew language news site Walla the Shayetet 13 unit was “exposed to the many capabilities” of the U.S military, including “expertise in combat, raids, medical procedures (including surgery), the overtaking of a ship and logistics.” The officer added that some of the equipment the Marines brought with them the Israelis only “knew from movies.”

Another joint Israeli-U.S. drill, dubbed Noble Shirley 2016, involved the simulation of helicopter landings deep in enemy territory. The operation also included training in urban warfare above and below the ground.

TV Channel 2 in Israel reported that this drill “aimed at coordinating techniques for combating terrorist activities such as that of Islamic State.”

The American forces taking part in the joint operations consisted of the U.S. Marines Corps Battalion Landing Team, the 6th Marine Regiment and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.

“The [Noble Shirley] exercise also tested the real-time response time of the joint US-Israeli missile defense systems, and the yet-to-be-completed David’s Sling missile interceptor system was deployed,” The Times of Israel reported.

Israel’s missile defense program consists of three systems. First, there is the Iron Dome, an interception system of short-range missiles such as the Katusha rockets that Hamas and Hezbollah used in their wars against the Jewish state. Second is the Arrow, a system that intercepts incoming long-range missiles. Finally there is David’s Sling, an interceptor of medium-range missiles.

The latter was used during the Noble Shirley drill and is in the final stages of a long development process.

The entire Israeli missile defense system has been financed by the United States.

In the Channel 2 video, an IDF officer explained the purpose of the drills and said that these joint operations are conducted annually. However, the Algemeiner reported Sunday that these exercises and another one that was conducted on the Golan Heights last week are related to developments in Syria.

“Israel is gearing up for the ‘day after’ an agreement is reached in Syria between the [Bashar al-]Assad regime and rebel forces, by preparing for worst-case scenarios,” the Algemeiner reported, citing a Walla report.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently busy brokering a deal between the Assad regime and rebel forces in Syria, and the IDF expects that when the agreement materializes Hezbollah and Islamist rebel groups such as the Islamic State will turn their guns against Israel.

“The assessments in the IDF are that an inter-Syrian agreement will lead not only to fighting against rebel jihadis, but with Iran’s proxy, the Lebanon-based terrorist organization Hezbollah, which supports the Assad regime. In such an event, the IDF believes, the need to maneuver deeper in Lebanon will be significantly greater than it was during Israel’s war against Hezbollah 10 years ago,” the Algemeiner reported.

Western Journalism