After accusing U.N. inspectors of failing to challenge Tehran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped up threats to attack Iranian nuclear sites and called a rare cabinet war practice.
The Juniper Oak drills include 140 aircraft from Israel and the U.S., in addition to high mobility artillery rocket systems, which will take part in live-fire exercises.
The IDF has said in recent weeks that the army was stepping up its preparations for an attack on Iran and will hold a major exercise in preparation for such a possibility.
The exercise will be carried out in varying terrain routes that resemble intense fighting that relies on multi-armed cooperation from the foot soldier to the general staff.
Crews from the US, Germany, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom are in Israel to practice joint flights and operational missions alongside Israeli operators.