TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter was warmly welcomed by his Israeli counterpart Monday on the first Cabinet-level U.S. visit to the Jewish state since the Iran nuclear deal was announced.
The Pentagon chief met at Israel’s defense headquarters with Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and on Tuesday is to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has strongly criticized the Iran deal.
Yaalon thanked Carter for his contributions to Israeli security and said Israel appreciates its friendship with the U.S.
The Israeli defense forces held a standard welcoming ceremony for Carter and he then went into a closed meeting with Yaalon.
On his flight to Tel Aviv, Carter said he has no expectation of persuading Israeli leaders to drop their opposition to the Iran nuclear deal. But he said he’ll emphasize that the accord imposes no limits on what Washington can do to ensure the security of Israel and U.S. Arab allies.