On April 26–29 Minister of National Defence Dovilė Šakalienė is conducting a visit to Israel. It is the first trip of a Lithuanian Minister of National Defence to Israel in 14. Minister is set to meet with Minister of Defence of Israel Israel Katz, Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Knesset Yuli Yoel Edelstein, members of SIBAT, the International Defense Cooperation Directorate at Israel’s Ministry of Defense (IMOD), and defence industry. D. Šakalienė will also visit the Yad Vashem Memorial to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust.
It is worth noting that one of the first meetings Minister D. Šakalienė had after assuming the office was with the Ambassador of Israel to Lithuania HE Hadas Wittenberg Silverstein. The Minister and the Ambassador discussed the bilateral relations between Lithuania and Israel, strengthening of the defence cooperation and sharing experience on total defence.
The visit in Israel is planned to security and defence overview, defence industry cooperation development, Israel’s total defence model in detail, from recruitment and Armed Forces reserve organisations to public readiness for defence and civil resistance.
Lithuania and Israel maintain a close political dialogue and cooperation on cyber security and de fence industry, as well as joint force upgrading projects. Israel has posted its first Defence Attaché to Lithuania in February 2025.
