Today, Tuesday, Israel and the United States began one of the major joint air maneuvers in years, and the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post said that it simulated offensive strikes against the Iranian nuclear program.

And the Israeli army announced - in a statement - the launch of a series of joint air exercises, and said that fighters and refueling planes from the two countries would simulate, over the course of days, "a number of scenarios in the face of regional threats," without providing further details.

The Jerusalem Post said that the maneuvers that will take place over the Mediterranean Sea and continue until the day after tomorrow, Thursday, include conducting long-range sorties, to simulate the tasks that fighters need to reach Iran.

The newspaper added that Israel "has raised the level of its readiness for a military option against Iran's nuclear facilities."

These maneuvers come shortly after the return of the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Aviv Kochavi, from Washington. During the visit, he met with senior military leaders in the United States.

Kochavi said that the next stage will witness a tangible expansion of the area of ​​joint activities between the Israeli army and the US Central Command, stressing that the Israeli army will continue to work intensively against the Iranian entrenchment in the region.

And Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in December 2021 that "there may be no escape from striking Iran."

Hulata said that dealing with Iran has gained international consensus (French)

The biggest challenge for Israel

Meanwhile, the head of the Israeli National Security Agency, Eyal Holata, said today, Tuesday, that Iran remains the main security challenge facing Israel.

Holata added, in a speech delivered at a conference organized by the Israeli Democracy Institute, that the Iranian nuclear program and Iranian activities in the region are among the main issues raised, in addition to what he described as global terrorism.

And he added that he participated at the end of last week in a conference held in Bahrain and dealt with the issue of national security, saying that it was found that dealing with Iran had become an international consensus, as he put it.

Tel Aviv accuses Tehran of seeking to manufacture nuclear weapons, and Israeli officials, including Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, have threatened to target Iranian nuclear facilities.

American and Israeli leaders have repeatedly stressed that they will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.