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A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 20 June 2019
Israel holds large military drill amid US-Iran tensions

By ARON HELLER group battled Israel to a
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel stalemate in a month-long
wrapped up its largest mili- war in 2006 and has since
tary drill in years on Wednes- gained valuable battle
day, with thousands of experience in the Syrian
troops from the army, navy civil war. Over the past 13
and air force simulating a years, Israel has carried out
future war with the militant dozens of airstrikes against
Lebanese Hezbollah group suspected weapons ship-
amid fears that Iran would ments from Iran through
draw its Shiite proxy into the Syria to Lebanon and has
recent growing tensions in engaged in several dust
the Persian Gulf. ups. But its field training has
The Israeli military said the been primarily aimed to-
four-day exercise had ward delivering a far more
been planned long in ad- decisive victory in its next
vance and focused on the full-scale war with Hezbol-
immersion of all branches lah.
against threats emanating Though the military would
from Israel's north. It includ- not mention it by name,
ed a large deployment of Hezbollah was clearly the
unmanned aircraft and the central focus of the drill.
first use of the F-35 stealth Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes his Cabinet to inaugurate a new settlement "I am very impressed by the
fighter planes to prepare named after President Donald Trump in a gesture of appreciation for the U.S. leader's recognition improvement in readiness,
for scenarios of missile at- of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Sunday, June 16, 2019. by the fighting spirit of the
tacks and underground in- Associated Press soldiers and commanders,
filtrations from Lebanon. and mainly by the destruc-
But rising tensions between with world powers amid the a series of strikes against Israel has long identified tive power," Prime Minister
Iran and the United States renewal of crippling Ameri- oil tankers near the Persian Iran as its greatest threat, Benjamin Netanyahu said
clearly served as a back- can sanctions. The Trump Gulf. citing its suspect nuclear as he attended part of the
drop. administration has ordered Israeli officials fear Iran may program, development drill. "I say to our enemies:
Iran recently announced 1,000 more troops to the try to mobilize Hezbollah as of long-range missiles and The (military) has very great
it was breaking its compli- Middle East amid accusa- its most potent toll against hostile rhetoric. destructive power. Don't
ance with the nuclear deal tions that Iran was behind Israel in a confrontation. The Lebanese Shiite militant test us."q
Database says 91,600 killed in Yemen fighting since 2015

CAIRO (AP) — Yemen's allies were responsible for
civil war has killed at least the rest.
91,600 people so far, a da- The group said it recorded
tabase tracking violence over 18,400 killed in the
said Wednesday, present- southwestern province of
ing a new estimate after Taiz since 2015, placing Taiz
completing reporting for as the most violent prov-
the first months of fighting ince in Yemen, largely due
in 2015. to a four-year siege by the
The conflict began with Houthis, the group said.
the 2014 takeover over of Hodeida and Jawf fol-
northern and central Ye- lowed Taiz as the next most
men by the Iranian-backed violent provinces in Yemen,
rebels, driving out the inter- with almost 10,000 in total
nationally recognized gov- combat fatalities, reported
ernment from the capital, in each region since 2015,
Sanaa. according the group.
Months later, in March ACLED said the U.N.-bro-
2015, a Saudi-led coali- kered cease-fire for the Red
tion launched its air cam- Sea port city of in Hodeida
paign to prevent the reb- contributed to a partial
els, known as Houthis, from In this file photo, a boy with fake blood on his face and clothes to represent a victim, holds a drop in reported fatalities in
overrunning the country's poster with Arabic writing that reads,"Military targets" during a protest against Saudi-led airstrikes recent months. That cease-
south. in Sanaa, Yemen. fire has since crumbled.
In the relentless campaign, Associated Press "These data are both a tool
Saudi-led airstrikes have and a warning: the interna-
hit schools, hospitals and Civilians have borne the or ACLED, said that in 2015, pared to 30,800 in 2018. tional community must use
wedding parties and killed brunt of the conflict, which about 17,100 people were The group said the Saudi- them to help understand,
thousands of Yemeni ci- has created what the reported killed — the sec- led coalition and its allies monitor, and ultimately re-
vilians. The Houthis have United Nations says is the ond-most lethal year after were responsible for more solve the conflict before
used drones and missiles to world's worst humanitarian 2018, which was the dead- than 8,000 of about 11,700 the situation spirals even
attack Saudi Arabia and crisis. liest one on record. deaths resulting from the further out of control," said
have targeted vessels in The Armed Conflict Loca- ACLED said 11,900 people direct targeting of civilians, ACLED executive director
the Red Sea. tion & Event Data Project, were killed this year, com- while the Houthis and their Clionadh Raleigh.q