Israel, US cancel missile defense drill

Israel and the US canceled a missile defense drill, billed as the largest ever in the country's history, planned for the spring, senior military officials said Sunday.

Initially scheduled for April and called "Austere Challenge," the drill was supposed to see the deployment of thousands of US troops and various sophisticated US military equipment in Israel.

In recent weeks, Defense Minister Ehud Barak's office has held talks with the Pentagon about the possibility of canceling the drill.

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