The commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) is expected to arrive in Israel and hold meetings with the IDF Chief of Staff and Defense Minister, according to a report Wednesday evening. No further details on the visit's timing or agenda were provided.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Admiral Brad Cooper is expected to arrive in Israel for meetings with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz, according to a report Wednesday evening. The visit, which was first reported without a specific date and then scheduled for Thursday (June 25), comes as The Zioneer continues to track Cooper's movements in the region.
The Zioneer reported on Cooper's recent itinerary in a series of updates Wednesday evening: at 20:35 Jerusalem, an Israeli source disclosed that the CENTCOM commander would visit Israel on Thursday, without specifying the agenda. Minutes later, a ynet report named Admiral Brad Cooper and identified his planned meetings with Zamir and Katz. A third report, citing Moriah Asraf and Doron Kadosh (N13 / Army Radio), added that the visit is the first since the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was signed and occurs as Washington presses for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
Background context supplied by The Zioneer shows Cooper was at CENTCOM's Florida headquarters on June 10, meeting US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and was en route to the Gulf on June 23 amid ongoing US operations against Iran. The June 24 visit to Israel places him in a direct diplomatic-military channel with the Israeli defense establishment during a period of heightened US-Israel coordination on Iran and Lebanon.
It remains unclear whether the meetings will address operational cooperation in Lebanon or further steps regarding Iran. The Zioneer is working to confirm the exact timing of Cooper's arrival and the full agenda of the summit.
3 developments
- DevelopingUS Central Command holds command conference, Israeli media reports
- StrongUS Defense Secretary Hegseth meets CENTCOM commander at Florida headquarters
- DevelopingSenior US official reportedly heading to the Gulf, likely CENTCOM commander
- DevelopingIsrael and US begin talks on new security cooperation agreement
Source and signal
- Internal intake