Israeli aircraft flies over Sudan for 1st time amid ‘warming ties’ – Netanyahu

An Israeli aircraft has flown through Sudanese airspace for the first time, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He described the development as another example of warming ties between the formally hostile states.

Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which supported hardline Islamists – including, for a period, Al Qaeda – during the rule of President Omar al-Bashir, AFP said. Bashir was ousted by the army last April following months of mass anti-government demonstrations.

“The first Israeli airplane passed yesterday over the skies of Sudan. This is quite a change,” Netanyahu told American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem on Sunday evening. He did not offer further details. An Israeli government official, cited by Haaretz daily, said the plane was “a private Israeli executive jet.”

Netanyahu met Sudan’s leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan two weeks ago for what the Israeli premier’s office described as talks aimed at normalizing ties.