Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel has completed what officials termed a long-range air combat exercise that included air refueling, an element vital in any attack on Iran.

The Israel Defense Forces said several squadrons of U.S.-origin fighter-jets participated in an exercise over Greece and its islands in the Mediterranean.

In a statement, the military said the Israel Air Force demonstrated its skills in long-range missions and mid-flight refueling.

“This past week, fighter squadrons from the Israel Air Force conducted a special long-range flight exercise,” the military said on Oct. 10. “The squadrons practiced refueling planes in midair and tested the ability of IAF aircraft to fly exceptionally long distances.”

The military said the Air Force contributed the F-15 and F-16 aircraft, both of which contain extended-range fuel tanks. The exercise, meant to last more than a week, also tested the Air Force’s ability for precision strikes at long range.

“When one mentions that ‘all options [concerning Iran] are on the table,’ it’s clear that military operations are also being talked about,” the military said. “The Air Force, the long arm of the IDF, is responsible for realizing this option if necessary, and to that end, squadrons are practicing and strengthening the full range of their abilities, including long-range flights.”

Israel has held regular long-range air combat exercises in several NATO states over the last three years. They included Greece, Italy and Romania, the latter said to contain mountain ranges similar to those in Iran.

“Challenges in a flight like this start in the planning phase, and continue in the flight itself which is far from home, in unfamiliar weather and terrain conditions, as well as all possible threats,” an air force squadron commander said.

  F-15s and F-16s, Israel Air Force, Israel tests long-range air refueling in exercise tied to Iran strike, long-range flight exercise