Joseph Dunford
Photo: AP
US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to visit Israel Monday
General Joseph Dunford is set to land in Israel for a two-day visit hosted by his Israeli counterpart, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot; Dunford will also meet with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to discuss a plethora of topics, including Russia, Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal and the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Army General Joseph Dunford is set to arrive in Israel on Monday as part of a trip in which he will be hosted by his Israeli counterpart Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot.
The meeting with the IDF chief will be fourth to have taken place between the two military heads.
Dunford bestows the Legion of Merit on Eisenkot (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
During his visit, Dunford will also meet with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Despite the meeting being planned in advance, officials in the security apparatus said that the Israelis and American managed to maintain secrecy around its happening.
The main topics of discussions that are expected to take place between the American chief of staff, Eisenkot and Lieberman include Russia, with particular emphasis on chemical weapons that remain in the arsenal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army.
In addition, the three will likely discuss other matters including developments in the Sinai and the attempts to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah.
Joseph Dunford (Photo: AFP)
The visit marks Dunford's first to Israel since the Trump administration entered the White House, and is expected to take place over the course of two days.
Last August, Eisenkot met with Dunford in the US, where he bestowed upon the IDF head the Legion of Merit during the honor guard ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington.
Dunford praised Eisenkot for the widescale changes he is spearheading in the IDF. “Lt. Gen. Eisenkot played a significant and vital role in expanding cooperation between the IDF and the US armed forces,” Dunford said.
He went on during the ceremony to say that Eisenkot had changed the IDF with dynamic structural changes and organizational changes to create a force capable of confronting the entire spectrum of military challenges—from terrorism to coordinated operations.
