Israel Says Mediterranean Missile Launch Joint Test with U.S., Pentagon Assures 'Not Linked to Syria'

Israel on Tuesday launched a missile over the Mediterranean Sea in a joint exercise with the United States which came as Washington mulls long-range strikes against Syria.

Speculation mounted after the missile firing at 0615 GMT, with Russia's defense ministry, quoted by news agencies, saying its early warning system had detected the launch of two ballistic missiles from the central Mediterranean fired towards the sea's eastern coastline, on which Syria lies.

However, the Pentagon said the missile test had no connection to possible U.S. military action against Syria, the Pentagon said.

The joint military exercise, which came as Washington weighed punitive strikes against the Syrian regime, had been previously scheduled and was designed to assess Israel's missile defenses, Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement.

"This test had nothing to do with United States consideration of military action to respond to Syria's chemical weapons attack," Little said.

"The test was long planned to help evaluate the Arrow Ballistic Missile Defense system's ability to detect, track, and communicate information about a simulated threat to Israel."

He added that the United States and Israel cooperate on various ballistic missile defense development programs "to address common challenges in the region."

Israel earlier had said the test involved launching an Ankor-type radar missile at 0615 GMT in the Mediterranean.

Only after the Russian reports did Israel's defense ministry announce it had carried out the missile test.

"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," it said in a statement.

"The test was launched from the Mediterranean and directed from an army base in the center of Israel," it said.

The defense ministry statement mentioned only one missile.

The test involved a new version of the Ankor (Sparrow) missile "and was concluded at... a test range over the Mediterranean Sea," a separate Israeli defense ministry statement said.

The missile was to test missile tracking capabilities, local media reported.

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon downplayed the significance of the test's timing, saying on a visit to a military base that the "exercise was planned a long time ago.

"The army will continue to supply itself with these types of system," he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Israel's missile defense capabilities.

"Our security depends on Iron Dome (the country's vaunted missile defense system), and our will of iron, which are the things that will give us the power to defend ourselves," he said at the opening of a technology park in central Israel.

"Those thinking of attacking us must know that it's not in their interest."

Russian news agencies said Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had reported to President Vladimir Putin about the event, which comes amid growing expectations of Western military action in Syria.

"The trajectory of the targets in question was from the central part of the Mediterranean Sea towards the eastern part of the Mediterranean coastline," the Interfax news agency quoted the defense ministry as saying.