Israel’s defense chief to visit Pentagon following Syria, Iran strikes: What to know
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is expected to meet in Washington with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other senior American officials to discuss the latest developments in Iran and Syria.
WASHINGTON — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is set to meet with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other top Pentagon officials on Friday, following US and Israeli strikes on Iran last month.
The meeting between the two defense chiefs comes as the Trump administration reiterates its offer for Iran to return to mediated diplomatic talks with the US over its nuclear program.
It also comes amid a new flare-up between the Israeli military and Syrian government forces, and it follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington last week in the wake of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in June.
A statement issued by his office on Wednesday before his departure said that Katz is scheduled to meet with Hegseth and other senior Trump administration officials. He will be joined on the trip by the Israeli Defense Ministry's director-general, Amir Bar’am, and senior military officers Oded Basyuk, Hidei Zilberman and Guy Markizeno, according to a statement released by Katz's office.
