Intel: CENTCOM chief tours Mideast in first trip under Biden administration

Gen. Kenneth McKenzie is scheduled to stop in Israel later this week as the Joe Biden administration seeks strategic dialogue to build on the Abraham Accords.
US Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., Commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), poses for a picture during his visit to a military base in al-Kharj in central Saudi Arabia on July 18, 2019. - McKenzie pledged on July 18 to work "aggressively" to ensure maritime safety in strategic Gulf waters after a spate of attacks blamed on Iran. McKenzie's visit to Saudi Arabia comes a day after the US House voted to block $8.1 billion in arms sales to the kingdom and other allies, in a move likely to be
US Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., commander of the US Central Command, poses for a picture during his visit to a military base in al-Kharj in central Saudi Arabia on July 18, 2019. - FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images
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Jared Szuba
@JM_Szuba

The commander of US military forces in the Middle East, Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, arrived in the region this week with plans to stop in Israel as the Joe Biden administration seeks strategic dialogue regarding Iran.

The Israeli press reported that McKenzie would meet with officials this coming Thursday. McKenzie’s arrival will mark the first US official visit to the Jewish State under the Biden administration and the general’s first since the Pentagon announced Israel would be incorporated into the US Central Command’s geographic region of responsibility.

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