Lloyd Austin
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with top officials in Israel, including Netanyahu.
“We have a common agenda to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and preventing Iran’s aggression,” said the Israeli prime minister.
The Pentagon chief is expected to address tensions in Judea and Samaria and countering Tehran, amid reports that Israel is readying a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley meets with Herzi Halevi, chief of general staff of the Israel Defense Forces.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also expressed concern over Iran’s continued nuclear progress, after inspectors detected uranium enriched to 84% in the Islamic Republic.
The Israeli defense minister thanked his American counterpart Lloyd Austin for “his personal contribution as well as the commitment of the U.S. administration to the security of the State of Israel and to the bond between the countries—a bond based first on shared values as well as on common interests.”
The defense ministers agree to meet soon about strategic issues.
The two defense ministers also discussed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Iron Dome defense system.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett thanked Howard Kohr for the organization’s “steadfast support for the State of Israel,” saying he views the organization’s activities as “a leading and integral factor in strengthening Israel’s standing in the United States.”
“I am bringing with me from Jerusalem a new spirit of cooperation, which rests on the special and long-standing connection between the two countries,” said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
The defense minister shares Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Benjamin’s grave concern over the emerging Iran nuclear deal, though believes that strategic dialogue, as opposed to a more defiant posture, is the way forward with Israel’s greatest ally.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz will hold “a strategic dialogue on the emerging agreement with Iran, safeguarding Israel’s defense superiority and the stability of the Middle East,” said a statement.
