Gen. Michael Kurilla, head of the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
Gallant and Kurilla discussed “the Iranian terror activity throughout the Middle East, including financing, training and the transfer of weapons to the terror organizations in Syria and Lebanon,” according to a readout of the meeting provided by the Israeli Defense Ministry.
They also talked about “the progress in the security-military coordination between Israel and the U.S., to prevent Iran from obtaining military nuclear weapons.”
The statement continued: “Minister Gallant emphasized to General Kurilla the importance of continuing military, security and technological cooperation against the growing threats in the region.”
Iran on Wednesday said that it gave new details to the International Atomic Energy Agency about two sites near Tehran where the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s inspectors had found traces of highly-enriched uranium.
It was the fifth official meeting between Kurilla and Gallant, with Wednesday’s consultations taking place in the Defense Ministry’s tower at the Kirya military headquarters.
On Tuesday evening, Gallant spoke by phone with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following the passage in the Knesset of the first law in the governing coalition’s judicial reform initiative.
Austin “underscored the United States’ belief that broad consensus through political dialogue, especially in the coming weeks and months, are critical elements of a resilient democracy.”
According to the Pentagon’s readout of the call, Austin reiterated that the “U.S. commitment to Israel’s security is steadfast and unwavering, and affirmed that the Department of Defense is focused on initiatives that deepen military cooperation.”
