‘This is the most important event we have had in years’: Israeli defense minister to address the world at the annual Israel Aerospace Industries Conference

Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon will attend the Israel Aerospace Industry conference at Herzliya on Monday, the country’s government said on Sunday.

Yaalon is the countrys most senior Israeli official to visit Israel.

Israel’s Air Force will also be represented at the event.

The event, to be held on Sunday and Monday in Herzliyas headquarters, will include talks on military and civilian defense, as well as a number of industry panels and workshops.

Yaalon is scheduled to hold talks with representatives from the Israeli defense industry, and also with defense minister Avigdor Lieberman.

A defense ministry spokesperson confirmed that Yaalon would attend the conference. 

“We are proud to welcome Moshe and his team, who will bring to the table the best defense technology and expertise of Israel and the world,” Yaalon’s office said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the minister was also expected to visit the Israeli naval base in Haifa, which will host a delegation of defense officials from the country. 

Israel’s air force and naval forces also plan to participate in the event, Yaalon said. 

In February, Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced that Yaalonta had accepted an invitation to join Lieberman and Defense Minister Avigdar Lieberman’s defense delegation.

The defense minister and Yaalon had previously met for talks at the defense ministry in Haaretz in 2014, when they were also attending a conference in Herzlia.

The visit, Yaalons first since his election as defense minister in 2014 in a landslide victory, was seen as a signal to his country’s defense industry that it could make major inroads in Israel’s military. 

At the time, defense industry leaders and military officials expressed optimism that Israel’s security situation could improve significantly under Lieberman, whose popularity had fallen dramatically following a string of military incidents during his tenure.

In June, the Israeli military shot down a suspected drone over the country, killing three Palestinians and wounding several others, in an incident that has triggered international condemnation.

The drone incident came just days after Israeli jets shot down an Iranian drone near the country last week, killing two and injuring dozens.

The U.S. State Department condemned the Israeli attack and called on Israel to immediately cease its operations in the region.