US CENTCOM chief Kenneth McKenzie in Israel for final official visit

Kenneth McKenzie, head of the United States Central Command, arrived in Israel on Wednesday for a final official visit during his tenure, the Israel Defense Forces said.

During his trip, he is slated to meet with IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

McKenzie and Kohavi are expected to discuss “the ongoing cooperation between the militaries, maintaining regional stability and operational cooperation,” the IDF said.

During the three-day trip, McKenzie will also visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, and tour the Masada National Park in southern Israel.

McKenzie is expected to retire from the US military in the coming months. He will be succeeded by Michael Kurilla, who currently serves as commander of the US Army 18th Airborne Corps.

CENTCOM officially assumed responsibility for the US military’s relationship with Israel in September last year.

Until then, Israel had been kept in the area of responsibility of EUCOM in order to prevent possible tensions between CENTCOM and the Arab and Muslim nations under its purview, many of which did not maintain formal ties with Israel, and would therefore not want to be considered as mutual allies.

In recent years, however, CENTCOM’s Arab allies have increasingly developed relations with Israel, some informally, so the issues have largely faded.

The US Central Command’s area of responsibility stretches across the Middle East to Central Asia, including the Persian, or Arab Gulf region, as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report.