The Israeli Air Force said on Tuesday that Israeli and French planes carried out a joint air exercise over Israeli skies this week, combating airstrikes and air threats.
During the drill, dubbed “Eastern Breeze”, four French Air and Space Force Rafale fighter jets flew over the skies of Israel along with IAF F-16i aircraft.
FASF aircraft arrive on a French Navy carrier strike group in the Mediterranean Sea.
“Aircrews from the IAF and FASF flew ‘wing-to-wing’ practicing joint strikes and countering aerial threats in an effort to share knowledge and benefit from each other,” the Israeli military said in a statement. “
The exercise was an important milestone in the development of strategic cooperation between the IAF and the FASF and improved the preparedness of the forces.
The Israel Defense Forces said the drill was part of a series of international exercises held this year. Last week, the army a joint drill With the US, simulating attacks against Iran and its regional terrorist proxies.
FASF Rafale fighter jets fly over Israel along with an IAF F-16i aircraft during an exercise on December 6, 2022. (Israel Defense Forces)
The last time FASF conducted a joint exercise with IAF was in early 2020.
IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi visited france in September to discuss the threat posed by Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist group.
Paris and Beirut have historically close ties, as Lebanon was ruled by France for more than two decades in the early 20th century.
At the time of Kohavi’s visit, tensions were high between Israel and an Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, as the latter threatened Israeli gas installations amid US-mediated talks on a maritime border dispute, which has since been resolved.
