Israel and US hold large-scale joint missile defense drill

Some 1000 US troops arrived in Israel over the weekend to participate in a joint missile defense drill with Israel. Nicknamed “Juniper ‘Cobra”, the large drill is held every two years and is meant to test the joint Israeli-American response to missile attacks. Israel’s primary missile defense system, the Iron Dome, is partly funded by the US. There have been conflicting reports over Iron Dome’s success, with supporters saying it is more than 85 percent accurate, and opponents claiming it missed many of its targets. Israeli officials say the home front is expected to be a focus of any future conflict. Islamist groups in the Gaza Strip continue to fire weapons at Israel, and Hizbullah has some 100,000 rockets aimed at Israel. The joint drill comes amid reported tensions between the US and Israel over the end of nine months of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks without any progress. Israeli Justice Minister Tzippi Livni met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas over the weekend, but Israeli officials said she was representing only herself and not the state of Israel.