ANKARA

Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir met on Thursday with the head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Kurilla, to discuss regional security issues amid rising escalation.

An Israeli military statement said Kurilla arrived in Israel this week and met with senior army officials to discuss strategic security issues across the region.

“This meeting serves as another reinforcement of the strategic, ironclad relationship between the IDF (army) and the US military,” the statement said.

Regional tensions continue to spike due to Israel’s brutal onslaught on the Gaza Strip, where more than 50,400 people have been killed since October 2023.

The Israeli-US talks also came amid repeated violations by Tel Aviv of a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon between Israel and the Hezbollah group that has been in place since November 2024.

Washington also escalated its airstrikes against Houthi targets across Yemen in response to the Yemeni group’s attacks on ships associated with Israel in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.