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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Israeli forces will not take part in the 2013 Eager Lion military drills that will be held in Jordan with the participation of forces from 18 countries, the Jordanian government said.

The names of participation nations will be announced in upcoming days, but will not include Israel, Minister of State for Media Affairs and government spokesperson Mohammad Momani said during a press conference on Sunday.

The spokesperson's office of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Sunday that Israel will have no role in the exercises, Israeli media reported.

The Jordan Armed Forces will organize the joint military training "Eager Lion 2013" in the upcoming weeks, with the participation of over 12,000 soldiers from 18 neighboring and "friendly" nations, Momani added.

The countries expected to partake in the military exercises include Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, UAE, Yemen, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Italy, Britain, France, Canada, USA, Turkey, Poland, and the Czech Republic, a source at the Jordan Armed Forces said.

The two-week exercises, held annually since 2011, aim to train forces in military operational, training, and logisitics measures, build functional capacity, with a focus on military and civilian operations, humanitarian assistance, and cooperation with governmental and non-governmental local and international organization.

The drills also aim to promote the cooperative relations among participating forces and their measures to enhance readiness in modern warfare and the nature of unconventional threats facing international security, the Jordan Armed Forces said.