Kochavi and Sullivan
Kochavi and SullivanIDF Spokesperson

Yesterday (Monday), the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Aviv Kochavi, held a series of professional meetings in Washington, D.C. at the Pentagon and the White House. As part of the meetings, the Chief of the General Staff met with the Ambassador of Israel to the United States, Mr. Michael Herzog, and discussed the focal points of the situation in the region.

Afterwards, the Chief of the General Staff met with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General ( * * * * ) Mark Milley, for the second time this week. The two discussed further strengthening the cooperation between the militaries and mutual regional threats, primarily the Iranian nuclear threat.

The Chief of the General Staff took part in a meeting at the White House and spoke with the United States National Security Advisor to President Joseph Biden, Mr. Jake Sullivan. There, the two discussed the security threats in the Middle East and the Iranian threat. Mr. Sullivan expressed that the U.S. stands behind President Biden's pledge to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The two also discussed the security situation in Judea and Samaria and the desire to maintain stability in the region and prevent the security situation from deteriorating. The Chief of the General Staff also met with the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Mr. William J. Burns.

Chief of the General Staff, LTG Aviv Kochavi, said: “I would like to thank the governing authorities and senior members of the U.S. defense institutions for their partnership and support for the State of Israel and the IDF. On the one hand, Iran is under many economic, military, and internal pressures, and on the other hand, it continues to promote its nuclear program. The IDF strongly promotes all operational plans against the Iranian threat.

"During the discussions, it was agreed that we are at a critical point in time that requires the acceleration of operational plans and cooperation against Iran and its terrorist proxies in the region.

"Our deep cooperation with our greatest ally was and continues to be a central pillar of our national security,” Kochavi said.