War

The IDF announced on Saturday that Israel and the US will  hold a joint military exercise later in February with the focus on training in ballistic missile warfare. The war games called ‘Juniper Cobra’ aims to prepare the two armies for the threat of a missile attack as well as helping to improve cooperation between the two militaries, the Times of Israel reported. Press TV reports: The drill, staged every two years, is said to be in the works since 2014, when thousands of soldiers from both armies took part in a five-day event that included simulations of a missile attack.

Last week the Saudis said they would send ground forces to fight in Syria, but only on condition that they would be joining a U.S. invasion force. While the Saudi proposal is a non-starter here in the U.S., they wouldn’t be able to fulfill their end of the bargain anyway:

NATO have announced plans to build-up its biggest military presence on the Russian border since the Cold War, in an effort to deter Russia from invading surrounding countries.  As relations between Russia and NATO-backed allies continue to deteriorate, NATO have decided to bolster defenses on its eastern flank by stationing 40,000 troops permanently at Russia’s doorstep.

Following hot on the heels of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said that it was also ready to send ground troops to Syria to fight ISIS Syria’s Foreign Minister said earlier that any ground operation in Syria, carried out without consent from Damascus, would be viewed as an act of aggression, warning that any potential aggressors would return to their country in a wooden coffin RT reports: The UAE’s preparedness to participate in a ground military operation in Syria was confirmed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, who said that “US leadership on