Issues

US-Israel Relationship

US counterterrorism coordinator leading delegation to Israel

The US Coordinator for Counterrorism will lead a delegation to Jerusalem.

Nathan Sales will arrive in Israel on Tuesday for the annual meeting of the US-Israel Joint Counterterrorism Group, the State Department announced on Monday.

It is the State Department’s longest-running strategic counterterrorism dialogue, the statement said.

“The United States and Israel will discuss the shared terrorist threats facing our two countries, including from Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah, and develop strategies for bolstering collaboration and cooperation in these critical areas,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser John Bolton met on Monday with the head of Israel’s National Security Council, Meir Ben-Shabbat.

Bolton tweeted Sunday that the two would discuss their “shared commitment to countering Iranian malign activity & other destabilizing actors in the Middle East and around the world.”

Bolton visited Israel in January, after US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of American troops from Syria, to reassure Israel of US support for Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria.

They were reportedly also set to talk about US concern over cooperation with China over Israel infrastructure projects.

Read More: Times of Israel