From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 17, 2021
Israeli, German air forces fly over Jerusalem in show of close ties
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJudah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
Israel and German aircraft are conducting a flyby over Jerusalem in a sign of the close connection between the two countries and their militaries.
The head of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin, is leading the Israeli planes, while the German aircraft are being led by Lt. General Ingo Gerhartz.
This marks the first time that German military aircraft have flown over Jerusalem since World War I.
The planes are flying over the Knesset and other government buildings, toward the area of Malha in Jerusalem.
המטס מרחבת הכנסת pic.twitter.com/lihHQSKBHW
— Or Heller אור הלר (@OrHeller) October 17, 2021
Earlier in the day, Norkin and Gerhartz visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in the capital together, the military says.
The German planes are in Israel for a biennial multi-national aerial exercise known as the Blue Flag. The countries taking part in the Blue Flag exercise will perform another flyby in roughly one hour, over both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The Times of Israel Community.