US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
“I thought it was important that we meet face-to-face to express our earnest desire for close consultations with Israel as we address shared challenges in the region,” Austin said following his meeting on Monday afternoon in Jerusalem with Netanyahu.
“As we advance shared defense priorities and maintain close cooperation between the US and Israel, I am confident that together we can chart a path toward enduring peace in the region,” Austin also said.
He did not mention Iran in his remarks.
Earlier on Monday, Austin visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum and the Fallen Soldier Memorial on Har Herzl in Jerusalem.
“As a son of Holocaust survivors, I know that memory is about more than the past, and also compels us in the present. Just as world leadership was called to arms during the world’s darkest times, we must not shy away from our responsibilities in the present. We must give real meaning to the words ‘Never Again’ by confronting actions that threaten global safety. I am grateful for our strategic partnership and common values that mean we will always stand on the side of life and liberty and confront forces threatening our safety and way of life,“ Gantz told Austin at Yad Vashem.