Feb 1 (Reuters) – Top U.S. and Israeli generals will hold talks at the Pentagon on Friday as tensions with Iran rise, two U.S. officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity on Sunday.
Officials did not provide details of the closed-door discussions between U.S. Gen. Dan Kaine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israeli Armed Forces. The meeting had not previously been reported.
The United States has stepped up its naval presence and air defenses in the Middle East after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran in an attempt to pressure it to the negotiating table. Iran’s leadership warned on Sunday that if the United States attacks Iran, it will trigger a regional conflict.
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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz met with Zamir on Sunday following talks in Washington to review the situation in the region and the Israeli military’s “operational readiness for any eventuality,” Katz’s office said.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Hugh Lawson)