IDF Chief of Staff on US Visit

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Despite political tensions between Israel and the U.S., military cooperation seems to be unaffected.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Col. Benny Gantz is in the U.S. where he is scheduled to meet with U.S. defense officials.

He's accompanied by Maj. Gen. Yaakov Ayish, IDF attaché to the U.S. and Canada.  While stateside, Gantz will attend the Friends of the IDF annual dinner gala in New York on Tuesday.

Last week, a joint U.S.-Israeli military exercise went off without a hitch. The exercise included drills of aerial rescue operations by helicopter.

Israeli pilots trained on the V-22 helicopter, which the U.S. plans to begin selling to Israel, YNet reported.

U.S. Marine pilots conducted training flights on the V-22 at different venues throughout Israel.