US pilots in Israel for joint air force drill

JERUSALEM, June 10 (Reuters) Israel's air force held a joint drill with visiting US pilots today, stirring interest in a region bracing for a possible armed showdown over Iran's nuclear programme.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the exercise was ''part of a multi-year working plan involving joint flights for the purpose of mutual learning'' and would be held annually.

Reports on the exercise were carried in Arab media, fuelled by speculation that Israel or the United States could bomb Iran should UN Security Council sanctions fail to curb its nuclear programme. Iran insists its atomic ambitions are peaceful.

An Israeli military source said the joint air force drill was ''unconnected to the current situation in the country''.

Israel, believed to be have West Asia's only nuclear arsenal, sent planes to attack Iraq's main reactor in 1981. But analysts believe Iran's facilities are too dispersed, fortified and distant for Israel to take on alone.

Alon Ben-David, Israel analyst for Jane's Defence Weekly, said the air force drill demonstrated recent Israeli efforts to boost military cooperation with friendly foreign states.

''Israel has realised that the way forward is to operation within coalitions, rather than alone,'' he said.

REUTERS SLD KP1625