Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday briefed visiting U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla on developments in the war against Hamas in Gaza and the conflict with Hezbollah in northern Israel.
Gallant updated Kurilla on the recent strike targeting Mohammed Deif, the head Hamas’s terror army, and Rafa’a Salameh, commander of its Khan Younis Brigade.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Sunday that Salameh was killed in the targeted airstrike in southern Gaza. Deif’s fate remains uncertain.
Gallant “emphasized Israel’s commitment to dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority, including pursuing its senior leadership,” according to a statement from his office.
He also “discussed the northern arena and ongoing Hezbollah aggression, as well as Iranian attempts to destabilize the region via proxy attacks. In this regard, the minister emphasized the critical cooperation with the United States,” added the statement.
In June, Kurilla visited Israel at the invitation of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. The two men held an operational situation assessment and discussed strengthening the strategic partnership against the Iranian threat, according to the Israeli military.
In January 2021, as part of the Trump administration’s adjustments to the Unified Command Plan (UCP), Israel was officially transferred from U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) to CENTCOM.
The move opened the door to Israeli security cooperation (e.g., exercises, military sales, operational planning) with U.S. regional allies and partners also in CENTCOM—specifically with moderate Arab states.
Last month, Halevi met in Manama with senior military figures from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.
The meeting signaled continued military dialogue and cooperation between Israel and Arab countries despite the conflict in Gaza, and comes on the backdrop of the regional effort to thwart Iran’s destabilizing activities through its terror proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and beyond.
