IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi is expected to take off for Europe on Sunday with the aim of meeting officials in Poland and France and strengthening Israel's military cooperation with the nations and discussing the threat it faces from Iran.
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Kochavi will spend three days in Poland, during which he will meet with senior military officials and Chief of the General Staff Rajmund Andrzejczak, who last week participated in the IDF's innovation conference. The Israeli delegation will also conduct meetings with Polish officers to foster ties between the two militaries. They will also tour the Auschwitz concentration camp to learn about heroism during the Holocaust.
Kochavi will then travel to France to meet with his French counterpart Thierry Burkhard as well as other senior officials of the military, including Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic Jean-Philippe Rolland.
The European visit is part of Israeli efforts to forge military ties and counter the Iranian threat. As such, Kochavi is expected to discuss Israel's security challenges, including the Iranian nuclear program and proxies in the Middle East as well as efforts to arm Hezbollah and cause a military escalation with Israel from Lebanon.
The chief of staff will be accompanied by his wife, Yael. The delegation includes, among others, the head of the IDF's International Cooperation Division Brig. Gen. Efi Defrin, head of the Military Intelligence Research Division Brig. Gen. Amir Sa'ar, and IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ran Kochav.
In Kochavi's absence, Deputy Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi will carry out the military chief's responsibilities in Israel.
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