Deputy US Army chief visits Israel amid Iran tension
Army Radio reveals secret visit by Admiral James Winnefeld, which comes amid alleged friction surrounding potential Iran strike.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUS deputy army chief James Winnefeld 370(photo credit: reuters)
An ongoing visit to Israel by Vice Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., was revealed Thursday morning on Army Radio.The visit comes amid speculation of strained relations between Israel and the US over differences in opinion on how to properly deal with threat of Iran's nuclear program.News of the visit was reportedly embargoed due to the alleged recent tensions between Jerusalem and Washington.Admiral Winnefeld is in Israel as the guest of Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh, and reportedly is taking part in discussions focusing on Israel-US military cooperation. Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threatChairman of the US Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey sparked talk of strained relations between the US and Israel last week when he was quoted by the Guardian as saying that he did not want to be "complicit" if Israel chose to strike Iran's nuclear program, positing that a premature attack would dissolve the international pressure on the Islamic Republic.Speaking to journalists in London, Dempsey said an attack would "clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran's nuclear program," but added that the "international coalition" pressuring Iran "could be undone if it was attacked prematurely"."I don't want to be complicit if they [Israel] choose to do it," he added.
