Top US general in Israel for talks amid massive American military buildup in region
CENTCOM chief US Gen. Michael Kurilla meets with IDF chief Zamir for talks that IDF says focused on ‘strategic security issues across the region’
United States Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), who arrived in Israel earlier this week for an official visit, held an assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military said Thursday.
The IDF says the meeting focused on “strategic security issues across the region.”
The visit takes place against the backdrop of recent US military airstrikes on the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, along with the US’s bolstering of military forces in the region.
Suspected US airstrikes pounded rebel-held areas of Yemen into Wednesday, with the Houthis claiming that one strike near the Red Sea port city of Hodeida killed at least four people.
Meanwhile, satellite images indicated at least six stealth B-2 Spirit bombers now stationed at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean — a highly unusual deployment amid the Yemen campaign and tensions with Iran.
Furthermore, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday that the US is increasing its naval presence in the Middle East by deploying a second aircraft carrier. One carrier already stationed there, the Harry S. Truman, will remain, while another, Carl Vinson, is being redirected from the Indo-Pacific.
US President Donald Trump has given Iran an ultimatum to reach a deal to curb its nuclear program or face military action.
France’s foreign minister warned on Wednesday that if world powers were unable to quickly reach a new agreement with Iran over its contested nuclear program, then a military confrontation seemed “almost inevitable.”
Kurilla’s visit underscores the strengthening military cooperation between the IDF and the US armed forces, particularly following Israel’s transition under CENTCOM’s area of responsibility in 2021. This shift has allowed for deeper coordination between Israel and its regional partners under the US security umbrella through the improvement of direct communications.
Kurilla last visited Israel in January and held an assessment with then-chief of staff Herzi Halevi.
Kurilla also visited Israel on October 5, 2024, to meet with Israeli defense and military officials, amid preparations in the IDF for a response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on October 1.
The Iranian attack consisted of some 181 missiles, sending nearly 10 million people in Israel into bomb shelters.
With US support, Israel responded to the attack in a series of airstrikes on Iranian territory later that month, targeting strategic military sites across Iran — specifically drone and ballistic missile manufacturing and launch sites, as well as air defense batteries — with explosions reported in the areas of Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan and Shiraz.
