The US generally discusses Syria, other regional issues in Israel are visited by Reuters
Written by Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top US military official visited Israel from Wednesday to Friday, meeting with Israeli defense officials and discussing the situation in Syria, among other regional topics, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
Army General Michael Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, met with Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, CENTCOM said.
Washington has urged Israel to discuss with the US more about the events that happened in Syria, where in the past days the Syrian rebels led by the rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani ended the rule of more than 50 years of the Assad family, as the President was overthrown. Bashar al-Assad fled the country.
The world has been watching to see if Syria’s new rulers can stabilize a country where more than a decade of civil war has killed hundreds of thousands and created a refugee crisis.
After the fall of the Assad regime, Israel’s military said its warplanes had carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria and destroyed dozens of its strategic weapons.
Katz ordered Israeli troops to prepare for a winter camp on Mount Hermon, a strategic point facing Damascus, adding to signs that Israel is planning a long-term military presence in Syria.
“The leaders discussed a range of regional security issues, including the ongoing situation in Syria, and preparedness to counter other strategic and regional threats,” the CENTCOM statement said.
CENTCOM said Kurilla also visited Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon in recent days.
Although Israel has welcomed the removal of Assad, who is also a major rival to Iran, it suspects rebel groups have overthrown him, many of them with origins linked to Islamist groups.
In Lebanon, Kurilla visited Beirut to oversee the withdrawal of the first Israeli troops under a ceasefire reached last month in a war that killed thousands and displaced more than a million.
Israel is separately fighting a war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, where its military offensive over the past 14 months has killed tens of thousands and led to genocide and allegations of war crimes it denies.
Israel’s attack on Gaza followed an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that killed 1,200 on October 7, 2023.
