American soldiers deployed at the new US Army base in Israel will “die to defend the Jewish state,” USAF Third Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Richard Clark has told the Jerusalem Post newspaper—a new and grotesque display of how extensive the Jewish lobby’s control of the US government extends.

Speaking in an interview with the Jerusalem Post in Israel during “Juniper Cobra,” the largest joint US-Israeli air-defense exercise ever, Lt.-Gen. Clark—who also serves as the commander for the deploying Joint Task Force, Israel—said that the “United States and Israel enjoy a strong and enduring military-to-military partnership built on a trust that has been developed over decades of cooperation.

“The Juniper Cobra exercises continue to strengthen this relationship, providing us with the opportunity to bolster interoperability and develop seamless integration with our Israeli partners.”

According to Clark, the US and Israeli troops will work side-by-side under each other’s relevant chain of command.

“As far as decision-making, it is a partnership,” he continued, stressing nonetheless that “at the end of the day it is about the protection of Israel – and if there is a question in regards to how we will operate, the last vote will probably go to Zvika [Brig.-Gen Zvika Haimovitch, head of the Israeli Aerial Defense Division].”

Haimovitch told the Jerusalem Post that Washington and Israel have signed an agreement which would see the US come to assist Israel with missile defense in times of war.

“I am sure once the order comes we will find here US troops on the ground to be part of our deployment and team to defend the State of Israel,” Haimovitch said.

And those US troops who would be deployed to Israel, are prepared to die for the Jewish state, Clark added.

“We are ready to commit to the defense of Israel and anytime we get involved in a kinetic fight there is always the risk that there will be casualties. But we accept that – as every conflict we train for and enter, there is always that possibility,” he said.

A total of 2,500 US troops are currently deployed in Israel for the main Juniper Cobra drill which took place from March 4 to 15, and most have stayed on to the end of the month in what the Jerusalem Post described as the “largest joint exercise with the US military’s European Command.”

The American forces also deployed the USS Iwo Jima and USS Mount Whitney as well as their Patriot missile-defense system, Aegis ballistic missile-defense system, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, TPY-2 radar system, communication systems, 25 aircraft and three hovercraft.