(PTI): A senior Hezbollah official has warned of a possible “Israeli attack” during Washington and Tel Aviv’s joint military exercise in the region.

Speaking during the national dialogue talks aimed at mending the political divisions between rival Lebanese factions, Hezbollah parliamentary bloc head Mohammed Raad said Tuesday that Lebanon must go on high alert during Israel’s biggest-ever military maneuvers on May 31.

“Lebanon is one of Israel’s targets during the exercise,” Raad said, adding that “Lebanon must be fully prepared for such an emergency. We should move.”

According to Israeli sources, the exercise, code named ‘Juniper Cobra’, will test three different anti-missile systems, including Israel’s upgraded Arrow interceptor.

Two other American-made anti-missile systems — the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and the ship-based Aegis ballistic missile defense system — are also to be tested during the war games.

Israel fought a 33-day war against Hezbollah in 2006 with the aim of destroying the military power of the Lebanese resistance. However, Tel Aviv was eventually forced to leave the region without achieving its objectives, suffer a humiliating defeat by the resistance movement.

Most of Lebanon’s infrastructures were destroyed during the 33-day war and more than 1,200 Lebanese — mainly civilians — were killed in the carnage.

Israeli officials, however, have said that the joint military exercise meant “to enable interoperability between Israeli and American Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) systems … in the event of a conflict with Iran.”

Israel has long threatened to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities under the claim that Tehran is pursuing a military nuclear program. Washington, on the other hand has refused to authorize Tel Aviv to carry out such an attack.

Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has repeatedly denied the allegations that it is seeking nuclear weapons, saying that it only seeks to produce electricity through its nuclear program.

Over the past five years, Washington and Tel Aviv have held similar war games but the recent Juniper Cobra exercise will be the “most complex and extensive yet”, The Jerusalem Post said.