IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Avivi Kochavi flies to the United States on Sunday for an official military visit.
Kochavi will be hosted by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. Milley.
The IDF said in a statement, “The visit was scheduled to take place during the month of April and was postponed due to the operational assessment of the security situation in Israel, and ‘Operation Guardian of the Walls.’”
“The visit takes place after the decision to transfer US military cooperation with Israel to the CENTCOM command and followed the CENTCOM Commander’s visit to the IDF this past January.
“The visit will further strengthen communication and increase cooperation between the militaries,” the statement said.
Israeli military forces drill together with those of the United States – and other nations – on a regular basis. This past April, IAF fighter jets and those from the United States joined the “Iniohos Exercise” in Greece, together with forces from Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, France and Spain.
The “Chariots of Fire” military exercise was launched by the IDF on May 8 to test combat readiness with emergency scenarios in all regions of the country. The exercise was to simulate war on several fronts, although focused primarily on war with Hezbollah in the north.
The largest such drill in the history of the Israeli military, “Chariots of Fire” was supposed to last four weeks but was cut short by the outbreak of hostilities with Iranian-backed Hamas in Gaza.
Earlier this month, the IDF Chief of Staff announced that “Chariots of Fire” was officially postponed and is set to take place sometime in the first half of next year.