The decision to travel to Israel for his first foreign visit as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reflects the “important relationship” between the United States and Israel, General James Dunford said Sunday in Jerusalem.

“I’ve been in my job for two weeks, this is the first country I’m visiting on my first trip,” Dunford said at the beginning of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “It reflects the important relationship the United States has with Israel. Quite frankly one of the foundational elements of that relationship is our military-to-military relationship.”

Netanyahu explained that Israel was facing threats from militant Sunni Islam, in the form of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and militant Shiite Islam, represented by Iran and its proxies. He specifically mentioned that “Iran has just placed thousands of soldiers not far from our border.”

Dunford replied that he was in Israel “because I’m confident that the solution to those challenges is our cooperation. And that’s what I’m committed to, and that’s why I’m here today.”

Dunford also met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. “They had good exchanges and pledged to continue the close partnership,” said Dunford’s spokesman, Capt. Greg Hicks, adding that the discussion covered all the challenges manifesting in the Middle East.

Eisenkot took Dunford to northern Israel to explain Israel’s perspective on the situation in Syria, especially regarding Iranian and Russian activities there.

A video of Dunford’s meeting with Netanyahu is embedded below.

[Photo: U. S. Embassy Tel Aviv / YouTube ]