'Israeli strike on Iran would cost US lives'

US officials tell 'New York Times' that a recent classified US military drill tested reaction to Israeli strike on Iran.

USAF F16s 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Handout .)
USAF F16s 370
(photo credit: REUTERS/Handout .)
An Israeli strike against Iran would indirectly result in the deaths of hundreds of Americans, The New York Times quoted unnamed US officials as saying Monday.
According to the report, the US military held a war simulation exercise earlier this month to assess Washington's capabilities to respond to an Israeli attack on Iran. The exercise determined that such a strike would lead to a wider regional conflict, which could draw in the US.
Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the classified nature of the exercise, officials said that the drill was not designed as a rehearsal for any US military action, but rather to measure US military preparedness to threats.
The two-week war game, called "Internal Look," involved a hypothetical IDF strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. The US military was drawn into the conflict after Iranian missiles struck a US warship in the Persian Gulf, killing 200 Navy personnel. The US retaliated by hitting Iranian nuclear facilities.
In the drill, the Iranian nuclear program was set back a total of three years - one by the initial Israeli strike and two by the US military.
Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threat
Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threat