OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, December 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - American troops will begin joint exercises with Israel this week to help prepare for possible Iraqi missile attacks, the latest sign that military maneuvers are being stepped up across the Middle East, a British daily reported Monday, December 23.

The Independent said that after a live-fire exercise in Kuwait over the weekend, about 1,000 U.S. troops are expected to arrive in Israel, bringing with them the latest version of the Patriot missile - used with minimal success against Iraqi Scuds during the 1991 Gulf War.

The Patriots will be deployed alongside a new anti-missile system, the Arrow, which was developed by the Israelis and the Americans, the daily added.

In contrast to 1991, when the Americans kept their distance from the Israelis to avoid Arab defections from their anti-Saddam coalition, the Bush administration appears to be cultivating a cozy relationship with the Israeli government, the paper said.

The U.S. troops are expected to stay in Israel throughout any conflict, training Israeli missile deployment crews and fighting alongside them if necessary.

The Americans are also reported to have stationed an Aegis destroyer equipped with sophisticated radar and shorter-range anti-missile defenses in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Israel.

According to The Independent, there was no immediate comment on this visible manifestation of the close U.S.-Israeli relationship. However, Igor Ivanov, the Russian Foreign Minister, expressed misgivings about America’s apparent determination to fight a war, come what may.

Ivanov said he saw no justification for war and said the United States, with the other members of the U.N. Security Council, should focus on ensuring that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction.

“We should work to reach this goal,” he said. “If anyone else wants to follow some other aims, that is outside the sphere of [Russia’s] interests.”

Asked specifically about the prospect of a war, Ivanov said: “On what basis, and what is the aim?”

In a separate related development, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday that Israel is “better protected than ever” against possible attack by Iraq in the event of a U.S.-led military operation against Baghdad.

“We are ready to face any development. Israel is better protected than ever,” Mofaz told state radio, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

“But obviously there are dangers for Israel if the Americans decide to attack Iraq,” said the Minister, who visited Washington last week.

“We mustn’t give in to panic and stay calm. The civilian and military authorities have done what is needed.”

Military officials have reported an increase in the number of people checking the functioning of their gas masks at special stations set up by national defense services, with 20,000 people doing so on Sunday alone.

Chief of Staff General Moshe Yaalon and other top officials were to carry out an inspection tour later Monday of the Israeli forces charged with protecting the civilian population, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.

The Defense Ministry’s director general, Amos Yaron, for his part said the government was set to decide soon whether to vaccinate the population against small pox, a possible bio-weapon.

“Up to now, between 15,000 and 20,000 members of emergency services and medical teams have been vaccinated,” he said.

Asked about press reports many Israelis were planning to leave the country fearing Scud missile attacks in late January or early February, Yaron said that Israel “is a free country, and people have the right to go abroad if they want.”