In conjunction with joint maneuvers, the US chief of staff is discussing Iran's nuclear weapons in Israel

The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, arrived today, Friday, in Tel Aviv for discussions with Israeli officials, coinciding with joint ground exercises between the Israeli army and US Marines affiliated with the Central Command.

Milley's visit - which was not announced in advance - came before a visit by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Israel, as part of a tour that will also include Egypt and Jordan.

And the office of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reported that the talks dealt with "continued cooperation to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."

The ministry stated that the US Chief of Staff met with his Israeli counterpart, Herzi Halevy, and that he will also meet with Israeli security officials.

She explained that the talks dealt with regional security challenges and joint coordination to defend against regional threats.

For his part, Dave Butler, a spokesman for the US general, said that he would discuss with Israeli officials the many challenges and opportunities facing Israel and the Middle East region, but he did not mention any details about Milley's agenda.

With negotiations with world powers over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal at a standstill, Western powers say Iran has made progress in technologies that could enable it to build a bomb.

Tehran denies any such effort.

Joint maneuvers

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said that it had completed joint ground exercises with US Marines affiliated with the Central Command, explaining that the maneuvers simulated strengthening joint cooperation between the two armies' ground forces, along with artillery.

The maneuvers included, for the first time, coordinating a possible air strike on Iranian nuclear facilities involving dozens of combat aircraft and the naval fleet, which included warships, submarines and an American aircraft carrier that arrived specifically in the region.

The Pentagon said that relations between Washington and Tel Aviv are strong, as two major partners committed to peace and security in the Middle East, according to the Pentagon.