Gen. Dan Shomron, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Force, concluded a three-day trip to France Thursday at the invitation of the French Army.
The Israeli officer visited various French military installations and conferred with French Army officers. Shomron led the Israeli raid on Entebbe in 1976 to rescue French and Israeli hostages aboard a hijacked Air France plane.
The Israeli officer met with the Chief of Staff of French ground forces, Lt. Gen. Maurice Schmitt, for what was described as a “general exchange of views” in which the fight against terror is believed to have played a central role. Shomron also visited the paratroop base used by the Rapid Intervention Force which has been used for missions in both Africa and Lebanon.
Dozens of senior French Army generals and admirals attended a reception given for Shomron at the Israeli Embassy. He is the highest ranking Israeli Army officer to visit France since June 1967 when Gen. Charles de Gaulle imposed an arms embargo against Israel on the eve of the Six-Day-War.
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