image General Joseph Dunford (C), the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, shakes hands with an honor guard member as Israel's Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkot (2nd R) stands nearby, during a ceremony in Tel Aviv, Israel May 9, 2017. REUTERS/Nir Elias - RTS15RQH

Chairman of the US military Joint Chiefs of Staff visits Israel to discuss military cooperation

The Chairman of the US military Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, began an official visit to Israel this morning, which aims at discussing “cooperation between the two respective militaries” and their ‘mutual challenges’ at hand. During General Dunford’s visit, the American Chief of Staff is expected to hold meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, as well as with his Israeli counterpart, Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot.
Even though the visit comes approximately two weeks before US President Donald Trump is expected to travel to the region, during which he is scheduled to visit the Jewish state on May 22nd, the IDF spokesperson’s unit said Dunford’s visit was pre-scheduled and was only made public this week for various unpublicized reasons.