WASHINGTON: The United States Navy has denied reports that it has carried out a joint missile test with Israel in the Mediterranean Sea, saying it did not fire any missiles from ships in the region.
“No missiles were fired from US ships in the Mediterranean,” a spokesman for the US Navy’s European headquarters said on Tuesday.
However, Israel earlier claimed to have carried out a joint missile test with the United States in the Mediterranean Sea.
“The Israeli defense ministry and the American MDA (Missile Defense Agency) Tuesday morning at 9:15 (0615 GMT) successfully launched an Ankor-type radar missile,” Israel’s defense ministry said in a statement.
On the other hand, Russia said its radar system had detected two ballistic objects fired from the central Mediterranean Sea.
The missile test has increased tensions in the region as the US is planning to attack Syria over the allegations that the Syrian government used chemical weapons in rebel-held suburbs of Damascus on August 21. Syria, however, denied the accusations.
The US has deployed several warships with cruise missiles in the Mediterranean, waiting for President Barack Obama’s order to launch airstrikes against Syria.
