BICOM

The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff was awarded a medal of honour by the IDF Chief of Staff at a ceremony at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv yesterday, as part of his ongoing work visit to Israel.

Gen. Joseph Dunford was also presented with a letter of appreciation for his “extraordinary service, his special contribution to IDF and the personal leadership he demonstrated in order to strengthen the ties between the US Army and the Israel Defence Forces”.

Following the ceremony, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said: “Your visit here is further proof of the depth of the security relationship between the State of Israel and our great ally the United States. Before Israel and the United States stand shared strategic challenges that we will have to face, and during your visit, we will discuss them.”

The two were expected to discuss regional challenges including the ongoing fighting in Sinai and the Iranian government’s attempts to transfer advanced weaponry to Hezbollah.

Yesterday Gen. Dunford also met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and stressed his “personal relationship with [IDF Chief of Staff] General Eisenkot, which is rock-solid and probably representative of the broader relationship that we have”. In return Netanyahu commended the “great alliance between Israel and the United States, and a great alliance between the American military and the IDF”.

Netanyahu added that he “look[s] forward to welcoming President Trump here very soon”. The US President is due to visit Israel on 22 and 23 May.

The IDF also announced that in the coming days American and Israeli pilots will fly together in a joint exercise in the Ovda Air Base.