Big joint US-Israeli air exercise opens at Ovda

The bi-annual Blue Flag joint Air Force exercise begins Sunday morning at the Ovda Air Force base in southern Israel with the participation of the US, Israel and allied nations. The exercise lasting two weeks will simulate “a high-intensity confrontation against a political entity with a strong army.” US, Greek and Italian aircraft have arrived in Israel in the past weeks.
The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F Dunford began a visit to Israel on Saturday as part of his first official trip outside of the US since taking up the position on October 1. He will meet with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot and be received by an IDF honor guard. They will discuss cooperation between the two militaries and common security challenges, during the visit, according to an official statement.