United States scales-back military exercise with Israel, affecting potential Iran strike (Second Coming Watch Update #212)

Released: September 1, 2012 By: Daniel Whyte III

The United States Scales-Back Military Exercise with Israel, Affecting Potential Iran Strike. According to TIME Magazine, Seven months ago, Israel and the United States postponed a massive joint military exercise that was originally set to go forward just as concerns were brimming that Israel would launch a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The exercise was rescheduled for late October, and appears likely to go forward on the cusp of the U.S. presidential election. But it won’t be nearly the same exercise. Well-placed sources in both countries have told TIME that Washington has greatly reduced the scale of U.S. participation, slashing by more than two-thirds the number of American troops going to Israel and reducing both the number and potency of missile interception systems at the core of the joint exercise.

United Nations warns of risk of 'war' over Iranian nuclear weapons. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged Iran to comply with UN resolutions demanding it curb its nuclear activities, warning that heightened international rhetoric over the issue risked degenerating into "war." He said Tehran should build confidence in its nuclear programme by "fully complying with the relevant Security Council resolutions and thoroughly cooperating with the IAEA." Otherwise, he warned, "a war of words can quickly spiral into a war of violence."

52 people are dead after torrential rains flood Niger.