Written by Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A senior U.S. military officer visited Israel from Wednesday to Friday, met with Israeli defense officials and discussed the situation in Syria, among other regional topics, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
US Central Command said that General Michael Corella, Commander of US Central Command, met with Lieutenant General Herzi Halevy, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, along with Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz.
Washington has urged Israel to consult closely with the United States on the unfolding events in Syria, where Syrian rebels led by opposition leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani days ago ended more than 50 years of Assad family rule, as ousted President Bashar al-Assad declared, and Bashar al-Assad fled the country.
The world is watching whether Syria's new rulers are able to bring stability to the country, where a civil war that has been ongoing for more than a decade has killed hundreds of thousands and sparked a refugee crisis.
After the collapse of the Assad regime, the Israeli army said that its aircraft carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria and destroyed the bulk of its strategic weapons stocks.
Katz ordered Israeli forces to prepare to remain during the winter in Mount Hermon, a strategic location overlooking Damascus, adding to the evidence 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 confront other strategic and regional threats,” the US Central Command statement said.
US Central Command said Kurilla also visited Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon in recent days.
While Israel welcomed the ouster of Assad, an ally of arch-rival Iran, it is suspicious of the rebel groups that ousted him, many of which have origins linked to Islamist groups.
In Lebanon, Corella visited Beirut to monitor the withdrawal of the first batch of Israeli forces under the ceasefire reached last month in a war that resulted in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of more than a million.
Israel is separately waging a war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, where its military offensive over the past 14 months has killed tens of thousands and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies.
The Israeli attack on Gaza followed an attack launched by Palestinian Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people.
