On Thursday, it was reported Turkey had requested the U.S. to deploy two Patriot missile defense batteries to its southern border as clashes between Russian-backed Syrian troops and Turkish troops have increased. Turkey’s defense minister stated Turkey would consider similar support from European allies if it was offered. The U.S. has not officially acknowledged or responded to the request.

On Friday, Saudi Arabia stated it had intercepted ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis at Saudi cities. The Houthis stated it had targeted Saudi Arabia’s Aramco facility and ‘sensitive targets’ in the city of Yanbu.

On Sunday and Monday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza launched over 80 rockets into Israeli territory. Israel’s Defense Force (IDF) said Iron Dome had intercepted a significant number of the rockets, but some rockets struck near homes and one hit a playground. There have been no reports of casualties as a result of the rocket attacks.

Also on Monday, U.S. and Japan Armed Forces started the Resilient Shield 2020 exercise at Yokosuka, Japan and other command centers throughout the region. Resilient Shield is an annual computer simulated exercise that focuses on ballistic missile defense to improve interoperability between U.S. and Japanese forces in the region. 

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