The commander of the US Army's Central Command (CENTCOM) Michael Kurilla has concluded his fourth visit to Israel since taking office earlier this year, the IDF said on Wednesday morning.
During the CENTCOM commander's visit, he held an operational and intelligence panel with IDf Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi. Also in attendance were Operations Directorate commander Gen. Oded Basiuk, Northern Command commander Maj.-Gen. Uri Gordin, Strategy Division and Third Circle commander Gen. Tal Kalman and the Defense Attaché in Washington Hedi Zilberman.
The panel focused on IDF activities being carried out to prevent and defend against threats on the Syrian front.
"We are training and developing joint military capabilities in an accelerated manner against the developing threats in the Middle East, and in a special way against Iran."
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi
The visit began earlier in the day on Tuesday with a tour of the Rosh Hanikra outpost on the Israel-Lebanon border and the Mitzpe Shlagim outpost on the Syrian border, during which Kurilla was accompanied by Gordin.
The two reviewed the challenges faced on the Lebanese border with Hezbollah, and the strategic importance of maintaining the security of the Israel-Lebanon maritime border. They also reviewed the importance of preventing Iranian threats from establishing themselves on the Syrian border.
Visit to Nevatim Airbase
The day then continued with a visit by Kurilla to the Nevatim Airbase down south, where a second operational panel was held, also chaired by Kohavi. The panel focused on the threats faced in the Middle East, and the main points of a future joint exercise were presented and reviewed.
An official dinner was then hosted by incoming IDF chief of staff Maj.-Gen. Herzi Halevi in honor of Kurilla's visit.
Speaking at the event, Kohavi thanked the US Army for continued close cooperation, saying: "Our mutual commitment is evident every week. We work together in all arenas to gather intelligence and thwart threats and prepare for diverse scenarios in an arena or multi-arena outline.
"We are training and developing joint military capabilities in an accelerated manner against the developing threats in the Middle East, and in a special way against Iran."