The Israeli Channel 20 website stated that the US helicopter carrier had left the shores of the United States three months ago, and arrived at the port of "Eilat" last night for a two-week joint US-Israeli exercise.

About 550 Marines will train alongside Israeli forces and practice a wide range of combat exercises separately and jointly, the website reported.

"As part of those exercises, US Army commanders will command our fighters and vice versa — Israeli commanders will command US Army fighters," Channel 20 website added.

The climax of the joint exercise is expected to be next week when an exercise simulating the conquest of a city in the "Tze'elim" training area, at the Center for Urban Warfare, will take place.

The website also revealed that "although the US forces engage in training ... to learn Israeli methods of operation, the Israeli forces are also willing to learn a number of things from the Americans, including the use of armored vehicles."

The "Times of Israel" had quoted Sunday officials as saying the Israeli occupation forces launched a massive, first-of-its-kind week-long exercise, simulating a full-scale war with Hezbollah amid a period of domestic turmoil.

The exercise is meant to see how well Israeli emergency response organizations — namely the military, police, fire department, and emergency medical services — learned the lessons from the May war on Gaza Strip.