Stunning footage shows Israeli F-16s wing to wing with French Rafales in skies above Israel

Israeli F-16 fighter jets are seen flying wing to wing with French Rafale combat aircraft in stunning pilot's-eye footage filmed in the skies above Israel as the two nations' air forces teamed up for a series of simulated airstrikes and drills to combat aerial threats.

The jets are filmed flying in formation in the clear-blue skies above the clouds in Israel's air space as the pilot shooting the film gives hand signals to his fellow pilots, panning the camera around to give incredible views of the aircraft and the skies around them.

The four French Air and Space Force (FASF) Rafales, which arrived in the region with the French Carrier Strike Group and France's flagship Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier, joined forces with the Israeli Defence Force's (IAF) F-16i aircraft from the country's 201st Squadron for the Eastern Breeze international co-operation exercise.

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The French Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Mediterranean Sea, where France's special forces have also been practising parachute jumps onto the deck of the Charles De Gaulle, last week before its pilots carried out joint strikes and aerial threats combat skills with the IAF.

In a statement, the IAF said the aim of the exercise, which came to a close on 6 December, was to share knowledge and allow both air forces to benefit from each other's skills and experience, adding: "The exercise was an important milestone in the development of the strategic co-operation between the IAF and the FASF and improved the forces' readiness."