Chariots Of Fire: Israel To Launch Historic Military Drill Amid Iran Nuclear Threat

The Israeli military will conduct its largest military drill in history that includes a simulation of striking targets beyond the nation's borders.

Thousands of soldiers and reservists will participate in the Chariots of Fire military exercises, which involve all commands, including the Air Force and Navy, as well as regular and reserve forces, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The drill's purpose is to increase the military's overall preparedness and test troops' capacity to conduct a robust and long-term battle against enemy forces on multiple fronts simultaneously.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Chariots of Fire military exercise is unmatched in magnitude and will allow the army to maintain a high level of preparedness in an ever-changing environment. It intends to boost the military's abilities in a multi-front, long-term conflict on all of the country's frontiers.

While Israel's military continues to battle a multi-front war on its boundaries, the Air Force will practice bombing targets distant from its frontiers during the drill.

Gearing Up for Iran's Nuclear Threat

Israel's troops will drill on one of the possible scenarios during the exercises, including several military options against Iran should the nuclear negotiations between the West and the Islamic Republic end in vain.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned on Tuesday that Iran was only a "few weeks" away from amassing enough fissile material for a bomb and that the country was also making progress to complete the production and installation of 1,000 advanced centrifuges for uranium enrichment, including at a new underground location at the Natanz nuclear facility.

Gantz will meet with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, at the Pentagon in Washington on Thursday, according to the Times of Israel.

Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Michael Kurilla traveled to Israel on Tuesday for his first official visit.

White House Worries About Iran Nuclear Weapons Development Fast Track

Recently, as per a Newsweek report, the White House expressed grave concern that Iran could have nuclear weapons within the coming weeks after the country fast-tracked its estimated procurement timeline from a year.

In a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told members of the media that Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a testimony that Iran's "breakout period is down from about a year, which is what we knew it was during the deal, to just a few weeks or less."

Psaki admitted that the situation "definitely worries" the Biden administration.

In a US Senate hearing in April, Blinken testified that Iran could now acquire a nuclear weapon in a "matter of weeks," bumping up the previously projected timeline.

Both Blinken and Psaki blamed the acceleration on former President Donald Trump's abandonment of the nuclear deal. They claimed that the agreement delayed Iran's weapons procurement.

"Certainly that is a direct impact of pulling out of the nuclear deal, making us less safe, giving us less visibility," Psaki stated.

She pointed out that the Iran nuclear deal ensured tight constraints and close monitoring of international inspectors on Iran's nuclear program.

Psaki further noted that Iran "has rapidly accelerated" its nuclear program and lessened cooperation with international inspectors in non-performance of its nuclear deal commitments since the Trump administration "seized" US involvement in the agreement.