Washington is sending a significantly smaller number of troops to Israel for a joint military drill scheduled to take place in October, a US military official confirmed Sunday, DPA reported.
The United States has vehemently denied reports that the reduction is a sign of tensions between the administrations of US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's persistent threats to launch an airstrike on Iran.
The US source, who spoke to dpa on condition of anonymity, said the decision had to do with budget constraints, and stressed that it will still be the largest joint US-Israeli military exercise ever.
The "Austere Challenge 12" drill is to simulate missiles landing in Israel, fired by Iran, Syria or other antagonistic states. The US has supplied Israel with interception batteries.
More than 1,000 US troops will participate from within Israel in the drill, the official told dpa, far less than the original number planned. But many more will participate remotely from abroad, meaning the total number will remain roughly the same, he said.
"The US commitment to Israel is as strong as it has ever been" and the drill "represents a major commitment by the US military," he told dpa.
Israeli newspapers reported earlier this year that the drill had been postponed amid US concern that holding it could be interpreted by Iran as a provocation.
"The goal is not to heat up the region," a senior security official told Israel's biggest-selling daily, Yediot Ahronot.
The 2012 drill would still be significantly larger than a similar one held with Israel in late 2009, the US source said.
Time Magazine reported Friday that some 5,000 US troops were to have participated in Israel according to the original plan. It also said that Patriot anti-missile systems will still arrive in Israel as planned, but without the crews needed to operate them. Furthermore, instead of two Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense warships, only one, or perhaps none at all, will be dispatched to Israeli-controlled waters.
The drill comes amid intense speculation that Israel is planning to bomb Iran's controversial nuclear facilities, possibly before the US elections in November.
If Israel attacks, Tehran and its allies, including the radical Shiite Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, are expected to retaliate by launching missiles at Israeli cities.
An Israeli military statement sent to dpa Sunday said the drill was "routine," planned in advance and "not in response to any real-world event."