U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Israel ahead of the country’s election on April 9, announced the U.S. State Department on Tuesday.
Pompeo said on Monday during a discussion with students in Iowa that he planned to travel to Lebanon, Israel and Kuwait “next week.”
When asked during Tuesday’s press briefing at the State Department about the upcoming trip, deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said, “I don’t have the details today to announce,” but mentioned that details would be released soon.
The visit would come amid the U.S. planning to withdraw most American troops from Syria in April,Isr as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing a tough re-election battle due to the Israeli attorney general’s announcement last week that the prime minister will face criminal charges in all three ongoing corruption cases against him.