Tel Aviv [Israel], September 7 (ANI): The Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, completed his first visit to Israel for talks with Israeli military leaders, as reported by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

The IDF shared the details of his visit in a post on X. IDF noted that Admiral Cooper was received with an honour guard upon his arrival, after which he held an operational situational assessment chaired by the Chief of the General Staff, and toured the communities surrounding Gaza.

According to the IDF, the visit focused on operational cooperation between the IDF and the U.S. military, strengthening joint efforts to address the challenges and threats in the region.

It wrote on X, 'The Commander of @CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper, concluded today his first visit to Israel in his position, as the guest of the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir.'

https://x.com/IDF/status/1964382072849780938

According to a report by the Times of Israel, Admiral Cooper was received with an honour guard at the IDF's Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv before joining Zamir and members of the General Staff for an operational assessment so as to review the current security situation and plans for the coming period.

In an official statement by the IDF on Telegram, it was noted that during the situational assessment, they discussed the current operational picture and the plans going forward.

Times of Israel further reported that Admiral Cooper also toured Israeli communities along the Gaza border affected by the October 7, 2023, massacre.

Earlier in another post on X, the IDF reminded how 48 people were still being held hostage.

https://x.com/IDF/status/1964373429588807964

It wrote on X, 'This is your reminder that we're still fighting a war against a terrorist organisation holding 48 of our people hostage'.

The official statement by the IDF highlighted that Admiral Cooper's visit was focused on operational cooperation between the US and Israel.

It said, 'The visit focused on the operational cooperation between the IDF and the U.S. military, maintaining regional stability in both nearby and distant arenas, and strengthening joint efforts to address the challenges and threats in the region.' (ANI)