Israeli Air Force marks Independence Day with annual flyover

The Israeli Air Force is marking Israel’s 71st Independence Day with its annual flyover of cities across the country.

The event kicked off this morning with a number of airshows at bases around Israel before the flyover passed over communities in the south of the country, which the military added to the itinerary this year in a show of support for locals after last’s weekends heavy rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

By the early afternoon, the flyover was passing over the Jerusalem area before returning to the south, where it is set to wrap up in Beersheba around 2:45 p.m.

Visitors to the bases could also see the IAF’s Iron Dome missile defense system, which has been used to intercept rockets fired at Israel from Gaza, as well as other military equipment.