Senior Israeli General's Secret Pentagon Visit Revealed

(MENAFN) A high-level Israeli military team headed by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir conducted an undisclosed trip to Washington this past weekend as friction escalates surrounding Iran's nuclear capabilities and missile development, coinciding with expanded American military deployments across the Middle East.

Reports from Israeli and American media outlets indicate Zamir held discussions with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine alongside other top-ranking Pentagon defense officials, delivering classified intelligence briefings while exploring potential military strategies targeting Iran and working to influence diplomatic negotiations currently underway between the Trump administration and Tehran.

The previously unreported visit unfolds against a backdrop of mounting Israeli anxiety that U.S. President Donald Trump may eventually finalize an agreement with Iran concentrating exclusively on halting uranium enrichment operations, while permitting Tehran's ballistic missile capabilities to continue essentially unrestricted and ruling out military intervention.

Following the Washington consultation, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz convened with Zamir in Tel Aviv to assess the military's combat preparedness "for any possible scenario," Katz's office confirmed Sunday.

American forces have bolstered their naval and aerial defense footprint throughout the Middle East, positioning the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, supplementary guided-missile destroyers, and cutting-edge air defense infrastructure in what Trump has characterized as a "massive and beautiful armada."

Israeli intelligence assessments indicate uncertainty persists even among high-ranking officials in both nations regarding whether Trump will authorize military operations. In public statements, Trump has expressed preference for diplomatic resolution and has declined to disclose his strategic intentions even to America's closest allies, contending such revelations could compromise ongoing negotiations.

Simultaneously, he has cautioned Tehran that "time is running out" and that any forthcoming strike would prove substantially more devastating than the U.S.-Israeli attacks last summer.

Though Israel has exercised restraint to avoid appearing to advocate for Washington launching hostilities, officials have confidentially expressed concerns that failing to act following sustained threats might register as "weakness" in Iran's calculation, according to a news website. Concurrently, they evaluate that should the U.S. execute strikes against the Islamic Republic, Tehran would probably launch retaliatory attacks against Israel, potentially sparking wider regional warfare.

Washington maintains it has no intention to destabilize Iran or engineer a Libya-style governmental collapse, while Iranian leadership continues asserting their nuclear program serves peaceful purposes and confirms intermediary-facilitated negotiations are advancing.

MENAFN02022026000045017169ID1110681429