Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels late Monday, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Sources close to the prime minister have called the meeting “important and urgent.”
They said Netanyahu would fly back to Israel after the meeting, which was arranged last week for discussions on “developments in the region,” but they did not provide details.
Pompeo is an outspoken critic of Iran’s nuclear program and on Saturday, he condemned the latest missile test by the Islamic republic.
Iran “has just test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile that’s capable of carrying multiple warheads. This test violates UNSCR 2231,” he tweeted, referring to the U.N. Security Council’s resolution endorsing the international nuclear agreement.
“We condemn this act,” he tweeted.
Netanyahu’s meeting with Pompeo had been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday, but it was moved up to allow Pompeo to attend the funeral of former President George H.W. Bush, who died last week at the age of 94, and will be buried at his presidential library and museum at Texas A&M University on Thursday.
Netanyahu will be accompanied by Mossad director Yossi Cohen, National Security Council director Meir Ben-Shabbat and Military Secretary Brig.-Gen. Avi Blot.
In April, Pompeo met with Netanyahu during a visit to the region. Talks between the two focused largely on Iran.
At the time, he said, “unlike the past administration, President Trump has a comprehensive Iran strategy that is designed to counter the full array of threats emanating from Tehran. Regarding the JCPOA [the Iran nuclear deal], President Trump has been pretty clear. This deal is very flawed. He has directed the administration to try to fix it, and if we can’t fix it, he’s going to withdraw from the deal.”
Monday’s meeting between Netanyahu and Pompeo comes amid reports that a U.S.-led coalition attacked Syrian government positions in the east of the country.
