US Secretary of Defense Esper stopped in Israel for a few hours yesterday on his way back from India, meeting separately with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz. Before the meetings, Esper was shown an Iron Dome missile defense battery that had recently been produced by the Israeli Rafael company for the US military. US-born Israeli Air Force officer Lt. Tova Winick gave Esper a tour of the system.
After the Iron Dome tour, Esper and Gantz met at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv with Defense Ministry director Amir Eshel and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi. According to Gantz’ office, “They discussed the imperative to maintain regional security and stability and to confront Iran."
