Weighing air assault on Iraq, US to first consult with Iran; ISIS conducting mass executions, battling Iraqi forces for small northern towns.
A CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter launches from the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde during preparations for a field exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. [File](photo credit: REUTERS)ByMICHAEL WILNER, ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
![A CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter launches from the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde during preparations for a field exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. [File]](https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_720,w_1280/246531 "A CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter launches from the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde during preparations for a field exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. [File]")