CENTCOM chief to visit Israel as Gaza, Lebanon and Iran talks intensify

U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper is expected to visit Israel for meetings with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz, as Zamir’s guest. The meeting date has not yet been set, but the visit has been announced tentatively.

The planned talks come amid ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran and rising tensions over Lebanon, which has become a central issue in the discussions. Iran has repeatedly said activity in Lebanon is unacceptable to it and is directly tied to the mood of the broader talks.

Earlier on Tuesday, Katz said at the MuniExpo conference that, “Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, even if the United States demands it.” His remarks came against the backdrop of U.S.-led efforts to broker a pilot arrangement under which the Lebanese army would take security responsibility for some areas in southern Lebanon, while Israel would retain a presence in the buffer zone.

The Lebanon issue has also figured prominently in preparatory meetings ahead of the formal U.S.-Iran round in Switzerland. According to the report, Tehran is demanding an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and has linked its return to talks with Washington to guarantees that the fighting will stop. The indirect discussions began amid continued Iranian threats to block shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. A diplomatic source told CNN that Iranian demands have delayed the negotiations, while mediators are now trying to resolve the dispute. A Pakistani Foreign Ministry source told Al Arabi Al Jadeed that the Israeli strikes challenge the understandings reached and said the situation requires U.S. pressure on Israel to stop the bombing.