Zamir met on Friday at the Pentagon with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, highlighting the senior and operational nature of the talks.
By The IDF Club
Israel and the United States are deepening military coordination following a discreet visit to Washington by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, signaling accelerated joint planning as Washington weighs possible action against Iran.
Zamir traveled quietly to the United States over the weekend for a series of senior-level meetings with American counterparts.
Additional details indicate the chief of staff flew aboard a non-military, privately chartered business jet that has been used in recent months for sensitive travel by the Mossad and senior Israeli defense officials involved in hostage negotiations. The choice of aircraft was intended to reduce visibility and complicate tracking of the unusual trip.
According to Reuters, Zamir met on Friday at the Pentagon with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, highlighting the senior and operational nature of the talks.
Israeli media reported that he was accompanied by a small group of senior IDF officers, including Incoming Air Force Commander Omer Tishler, reflecting the central role air power is expected to play in any future confrontation with Iran.
Israeli defense officials say coordination with Washington is expected to continue closely and that Jerusalem anticipates advance notice should the United States move toward military action. Such notice would allow Israel to complete operational preparations and align public messaging.
From Israel’s perspective, the Iranian threat now extends well beyond the nuclear program alone. Senior defense sources warn that Tehran has significantly expanded its missile arsenal since recent fighting and is now capable of launching large, coordinated salvos.
Any effective response, they argue, would need to target both Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and its missile launch systems. One senior official said Israel cannot live with the Iranian missile threat.
The intensified dialogue builds on last week’s visit to Washington by Military Intelligence chief Shlomi Binder, who met with senior officials at the Pentagon, the CIA, and the White House.
Ynet reported that those talks focused heavily on air superiority over Iran, drawing on lessons from Operation Rising Lion, during which Israel said it achieved air dominance over parts of western Iran within 48 hours. U.S. officials were said to have expressed strong confidence in Israel’s planning and intelligence capabilities.
The momentum was further reinforced by a recent visit to Israel by Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command. Those meetings reportedly focused on defensive preparations in the event a U.S. strike on Iran triggers ballistic missile fire toward Israel, underscoring the growing emphasis on joint readiness as tensions with Tehran continue to rise.
