President Barack Obama was welcomed when he landed in Israel Wednesday midday with full ceremonial honors - ahead of tough talks, DEBKAfile reports. He has just ended a visit to President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem before going on to meet Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for the first of their three working sessions - mainly on Iran and Syria. A press conference is scheduled for 8:10 pm local time.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will pay his first visit Israel next month. He reported this to Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon when they exchanged congratulations over their new appointments and promised to strengthen cooperation in light of common challenges in the Middle East.