The US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has called his Israeli counterpart Moshe Ya’alon to congratulate him on taking office, the Pentagon said.
The yesterday’s telephonic call between the two leaders came ahead of the Israel visit of the US President Barack Obama.
“Both leaders noted the hard work of their predecessors to achieve unprecedented levels of military to military cooperation between the United States and Israel,” the Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
They vowed to ensure continued close collaboration at all levels, a commitment signalled by Obama’s trip, he added.
Hagel noted that Ya’alon is well known to national security leaders in the United States, having served as Israeli Defence Forces Chief of Staff.
Hagel stated that he looks forward to meeting with Ya’alon both in the Pentagon and in Israel in the near future, Little said.