Israel Air Force (IAF) war planes are practicing in Iraqi airspace and land on US airbases in the country as a preparation for a potential strike on Iran, sources in the Iraqi Defense Ministry told a local news network on Friday.
An IAF jet participates in a large-scale air force drill.
Photo: IDF
Slideshow: Pictures of the week The report, which was also carried by Iranian news outlets, claimed that recently massive IAF overnight presence was detected in several American held airbases.
The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the veracity of the report.
According to the sources, former military officers in the Anbar province said IAF jets arrive during the night from Jordanian airspace, enter Iraq's airspace and land on a runway near the city of Hadita. The sources estimated the jets were practicing for a raid on Iran's nuclear sites.
The sources also said the American bases in Iraq might serve as a platform for the IAF from which to attack Iran. If Israeli warplanes will take off from Iraq, they can reach Bushehr in five minutes - a "record time," the sources said.
After reports of a massive IAF exercise over the Mediterranean surfaced several weeks ago, an Israeli official told the times that the drill was "the dress rehearsal" for an attack on Iran's nuclear sites.
On Thursday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel was the "strongest country in the region." Sending a thinly veiled warning to Iran, Barak said Israel "has already proved it did not shy away in the past from acting when it fears its vital interests are at stake."
