DTN News: US Military Commander Will Not Promise Not To Down IAF Jets Heading To Iran

DTN News: US Military Commander Will Not Promise Not To Down IAF Jets Heading To Iran Source: DTN News / Yechiel Spira – Yeshiva World News YWN Israel (NSI News Source Info) TEL AVIV, Israel - April 24, 2010: Perhaps highlighting the unprecedented breakdown in relations between Israel and the United States, Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff evaded responding to a question if the United States would shoot down an IAF fighter jet heading to Iran to attack that country’s nuclear facilities. According to the Virginia Weekly Standard, the American military commander appeared at a town hall meeting at the University of West Virginia, a young airman was quoted as asking if Israeli jets entered a US no-fly zone, would America down the jet(s). His response was anything but direct, avoiding the question by stating “We have an exceptionally strong relationship with Israel. I’ve spent a lot of time with my counterpart in Israel. So we also have a very clear understanding of where we are. And beyond that, I just wouldn’t get into the speculation of what might happen and who might do what. I don’t think it serves a purpose, frankly”. The airman was somewhat persistent, then asking if he or his colleagues might be ordered to fire at Israeli Air Force jets. Once again, the response was far from expected, seeking to sidestep the question. “Again, I wouldn’t move out into the future very far from here. They’re an extraordinarily close ally, have been for a long time, and will be in the future”.