MIDEAST MACHINATIONS - AT 7:48 A.M. ET:  The news out of the Mideast becomes more and more intriguing.  In the last few days Vice President Joe Biden has said that the U.S. could not prevent Israel, a sovereign nation, from doing what it needs to do to defend against a nuclear weapons-developing Iran.  At the same time, the Times of London reported that Saudi Arabia had agreed to let Israeli jets overfly Saudi territory on a run into Iran.  That second report has been officially denied, but of course it has to be.

Now we learn that military plans in Israel are underway, and the target is pretty obvious.  The Jerusalem Post reports:

On the day that US Vice President Joe Biden seemed to give Israel a green light for military action to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat, The Jerusalem Post learned that the IAF plans to participate in aerial exercises in the US and Europe in the coming months with the aim of training its pilots for long-range flights.

And...

IAF (Israel Air Force) planes will take part this year in a joint aerial exercise with a NATO-member state that cannot be identified.

In addition, later this month, the air force will send F-16C fighter jets to participate in the Red Flag exercise at the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. At the same time, several of the IAF's C-130 Hercules transport aircraft will participate in the Rodeo 2009 competition at the McChord Air Force Base in Washington state.

Defense officials said the overseas exercises would be used to drill long-range maneuvers. Last summer, more than 100 IAF jets flew over Greece in what was viewed as a test-run for a potential strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Hmm.  We shouldn't jump to conclusions, of course.  It could be that the U.S., working with Israel, is simply sending a tougher message to Tehran, but will back down later.  On the other hand, maybe Israel has made plain that it will act without American approval if it feels it must neutralize the Iranian nuclear program.

Stay tuned.  This is getting very interesting.  And remember that the missile shield the U.S. wants to place in Eastern Europe, and which already has Polish and Czech approval, is directed at Iran.  As we noted in our story below, Obama is in Moscow right now, and the Russians want that shield cancelled. 

Will Obama cancel in order to get some other piece of paper with Moscow?  Lots of interrelated developments here.

July 6, 2009