Is this something the US and Israeli Military has done before?

[Jumping John]

I never heard of the US Marines conducting infantry drills against a mock Arab village before. I find this news a little bit scary. I am sure Israel will not engage in Afghanistan or Iraq. Hello Iran though - It seems.

U.S., Israel Conduct Largest-Ever Joint Infantry Drill

About 200 U.S. Marines joined a battalion of Israeli soldiers this month for the largest U.S.-Israeli joint infantry drill ever conducted, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. The three-week training took place in Israel and included war-simulations in a mock Arab village. In one drill, an all-night hike through the Negev Desert culminated in a military incursion into the village. Behind a dune on the village's edge, a U.S. Marine company commander conferred with his Israeli counterpart before the two barked orders-the Marine in English, the Israeli in Hebrew-to soldiers scattered behind them. Explosions triggered by pyrotechnics engineers shook the night and as forces battled house-to-house. The exercise continues a growing trend of increased U.S.-Israeli joint training operations. There will be an even bigger joint infantry exercise this fall involving tanks and armored vehicles.

http://www.aipac.org/130.asp#38327

[proteus_lives]

1. Israel is not going to war with Iran.

Despite the many DU boogeyman threads that say otherwise.

And yes, Israeli and U.S. soldiers have been training together for years. Allies do that.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. Every unit gets that kind of training before deployment

Coop training with the IDF is more of an occasional thing

[BeFree]

3. Thank gawd

Israel didn't 'friendly fire' on our troops this time.

They did once or twice before. I bet our commanders are a bit nervous they'll do it again, eh?