Israeli army launches naval, ground drills amid escalating US-Iran tensions

The Israeli army launched two-day naval and ground drills on Monday as regional escalation continues to rise between the US and Iran.

A military statement said the exercise will continue until Tuesday evening in the area between Shavei Tzion in the north and Ashdod in the south.

The drills would include intensive movements of ships and security forces, the army said, adding that the exercise had been planned in advance and was not linked to any security incident.

The army also announced another military drill in Raanana in central Israel on Monday evening that will include the use of lighting equipment and intensive movement of army forces and rescue vehicles.

The drills come as the Middle East region remains on edge since Israel and the US launched a joint offensive on Iran in February, triggering retaliatory attacks from Tehran across the region.

The US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April and subsequently signed a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending their military conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement. The deal, however, collapsed last month with the US and Iran exchanging attacks for nearly two weeks.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said that he canceled a planned military strike against Iran after Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries requested time to finalize the framework of a peace deal, saying Israel has joined the commitment.