Israel, France hold joint air drill in Mediterranean

JERUSALEM, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israel said on Tuesday it concluded a joint aerial exercise with the French Air and Space Force (FASF) and Navy in the Mediterranean Sea.

In the so-called Eastern Breeze drill, the French Charles de Gaulle carrier, the flagship of the French Navy, arrived in the Mediterranean Sea carrying four French Rafale aircraft, the Israeli military said in a statement.

Israeli and French aircrews flew wing-to-wing while practicing joint strikes and counteracting aerial threats in an effort to share knowledge and benefit from one another, the statement said.

It added that the exercise was "an important milestone" in the strategic cooperation between the Israeli Air Force and FASF to improve their readiness.

The exercise was part of several international exercises that the Israeli military has conducted as part of its scheduled training programs, according to the statement.

It came a week after Israeli and the U.S. armed forces completed a large-scale exercise that simulated strikes targeting the Iranian nuclear program.