Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held talks in Washington over the weekend with American officials, focusing on Iran.
The chief of staff flew to the United States on Thursday night and returned to Israel early Sunday morning. Traveling with Zamir were Maj. Gen. Hidai Zilberman, head of the IDF Planning Division and until recently the Israeli military defense attaché in Washington; Col. M., head of the IDF Operations Branch; Brig. Gen. Omer Tishler, the incoming Israeli Air Force commander, and Brig. Gen. Amit Adler, head of the IDF Strategic Communications Division.
Zamir met with Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and discussed with him and his team operational options and their implications.
As of now, Israeli officials cannot say whether the United States will actually strike Iran, and what the nature of the attack would be if it happens. The chief of staff presented Israel’s position to his counterparts.
Notably, IDF Military Intelligence Directorate head Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder also visited the United States last week. Additionally, the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Adm. Brad Cooper, visited Israel on Jan. 24.
During the visit, Cooper and Zamir held an extended meeting, during which they discussed security and strategic issues. Afterward, another meeting was held with senior officials from both militaries to discuss ongoing defense cooperation between Israel and the United States.
Meanwhile, a report in The Wall Street Journal claimed on Sunday that American forces are still not ready to deliver the type of blow that Trump requested, partly due to a shortage of air defense systems for Washington’s allies in the region, including Israel.
Originally published in Israel Hayom.
