Israel: Missile test-fired in Mediterranean

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Israel says an experimental missile was launched This comes amid U.S. talk of possible military action in Syria The U.S. says the missile launch did not involve American forces Editor's note: Are chemical weapons a 'red line'? Tell us what you think. (CNN) -- Israel and the United States test-fired an "experimental" missile Tuesday morning in the Mediterranean Sea, the Israel Defense Ministry said. Russia announced that its early warning system had detected the launch of two missiles in the sea, and amid region-wide jitters over U.S. talk of possible military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. "The Ministry of Defense together with the American Agency for Missile Defense carried out the successful test of the experimental target missile 'Anchor,'" the Israeli ministry said on its Facebook page. Syria crisis: 20 questions to ask Can Obama win over Congress on Syria? U.S. warships in position to strike Syria The launch came from an Israeli Air Force base in a central part of the country and reviewed the "improved ability" of the "Anchor," the ministry said. "They checked the defense systems against missiles of the 'Arrow' system including radar and system controls. After the target missile Anchor was fired the radar called Greenpine identified it and sent the data to the control center. At the same time additional sources tracked the missile," the ministry said. Opinion: A U.S. strike would be self-wounding While Israel apparently made reference to the Missile Defense Agency, an entity in the U.S. Defense Department, American sources asked about the test did not say the United States was involved in it. A U.S. official said what occurred in the eastern Mediterranean was an "expected Israeli system test" and the official said it was up to the Israelis to explain exactly what they were testing. Syria: Every 15 seconds, a new refugee And, a U.S. military official stressed that "this did not involve U.S. forces." "No ballistic missile launch has been detected," the military official told CNN. "None at our ships and none by our ships. There have been no offensive or defensive missile launches by the U.S. military." Russia's state-run news outlet RIA Novosti said the launch was detected Tuesday morning by radar in the southern Russian city of Armavir, citing a Defense Ministry spokesman. "The targets' trajectories ran from the central to the eastern Mediterranean," RIA Novosti reported, citing the spokesman. The targets fell into the sea, a diplomatic source in the Syrian capital of Damascus told RIA Novosti. source: http://edition.cnn.com