BREAKING NEWS

Eisenkot visits Italy

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot arrived in Italy on Monday on an official visit as the guest of his Italian counterpart, Gen. Claudio Graziano.
During a series of working meetings, the two men will discuss “common security challenges, the regional security picture in the Middle East, and military cooperation,” the IDF Spokesman’s Office said.
The IDF deputy chief of staff, Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan, will fill in for Eisenkot during the visit.
Defense ties between Israel and Italy appear to be growing stronger. Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti visited Israel in late February, telling her host, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, that Israel and Italy are in the same boat, sharing regional problems, while acknowledging that Israel has been living with them for a long time.
Europe and the entire world are now beginning to experience these problems themselves, and can better understand what has been taking place in the region, she said. Ya’alon also praised defense relations between the two countries, pointing to the Israel Air Force’s use of Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master advanced training plane.