Israel and the United States conducted joint air exercises amid tensions raised by the recent attack on the Israeli tanker "Mercer Street" off the coast of Oman on July 29, which Iran was accused of carrying out, and while Tel Aviv called on the major powers to rein in Tehran, it demanded The United Nations calmed the region.

The US Central Command said that the joint exercise "Desert Eagle" that brought together its air forces with the Israeli Air Force was the first of its kind.

The Central Command, through its Twitter account, republished the photos published by the Israeli Air Force's account on Twitter.

The Israeli Air Force said, on Twitter, that the exercises had ended and Israeli and American F-15 aircraft participated in them, which simulated multiple operational scenarios in Israeli airspace, adding that these exercises confirm the strength of the alliance between Israel and the United States.


Burns talks in Israel

The announcement of these air exercises coincided with the first visit by CIA Director William Burns to Israel since taking office last March.

At the start of the 3-day visit, Burns met with Israeli Mossad chief David Barnea, and Israeli media said that Mossad officials told the American official that the current Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi could not be trusted, was unable to negotiate a new nuclear agreement, and would not abide by any commitments. He might cut it on himself.

During his meetings with Israeli officials, led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Burns is supposed to present the American approach to reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement by lifting some economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for halting its nuclear activities.

Gantz responded to Nasrallah's statements that it is Israel and not any other party that is establishing the equation (Reuters)

Curb Iran and Hezbollah

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz called on what he described as the main players and the countries of the world to curb Iran and its extensions in the region.

During a tour to inspect his forces on the border with Lebanon on Tuesday, Gantz said that all countries and players in the world must put an end to Iran and Hezbollah.

In response to the Secretary-General of Hezbollah's announcement that his party has fixed the rules of engagement in the region, Gantz said that the one who sets the equation is Israel and not any other party, accusing Hezbollah of exploiting Lebanon's security and the food of its residents based on Iran's directives, as he put it.

Tel Aviv, Washington and London accused Iran of being behind the attack on the Mercer Street tanker, in which two of their crew, a Briton and a Romanian, were killed.

And Dana Stroul, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle Eastern Affairs, said that the US Central Command issued its assessment last Friday based on examining the wreckage of the drone that targeted the Israeli tanker Mercer Street, and comparing it with other Iranian-made drones.

This came during a hearing held by the Subcommittee on Foreign Relations in the US Senate, in which it answered a question by Republican Senator Todd Young about the possibility of confirming reports that the recent attack on Mercer Street was carried out from Yemen through an Iranian-made march.

For his part, US Defense Department spokesman, John Kirby, said that Stroll had not confirmed that the attack on the tanker was launched from Yemen.


A call to calm

In New York, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, urged all parties in the Gulf region and beyond to de-escalate tensions in the region.

In response to a question about statements by a US official indicating that the attack on the Mercer Street tanker took place from Yemen, Dujarric said that the United Nations does not have a mandate to conduct an investigation in this regard.

He noted that member states of the UN Security Council have different opinions on the source of the attack.