U.S. Marines and Israelis finish 'intense' exercise in Negev desert

[ErnstBlofeld]

World Tribune:

 

Israel and the U.S. Marines have completed their largest exercise ever. In August 2010, about 200 U.S. Marines conducted counter-insurgency and other training with the Israel Army. The three-week joint training took place in the Negev desert and included urban warfare and other maneuvers.

"These exercises were very intense and helpful," an official said. The exercise, first reported in the Wall St. Journal, was the largest exercise between Israeli and U.S. ground forces. In previous exercises in Israel, no more than 20 Marines participated, Middle East Newsline reported.

One segment of the exercise brought Marines and Israeli soldiers for an all-night march through the southern desert. The march ended with a raid on a mock Palestinian village employed for combat training.

 

The exercise was overseen by Israeli and Marine generals. Officials said the generals were planning a larger joint infantry-armored exercise around October 2010.