Israeli PM, CIA chief meet with focus on Iran

Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief William Burns met here to discuss Iran and strengthen intelligence cooperation between the two allies.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Wedesday that the two discussed “boosting intelligence and security cooperation between Israel and the US”, reports Xinhua news agency.

Moreover, they discussed regional issues “with an emphasis on Iran, and options for expanding and deepening regional cooperation”, the statement read. The meeting was also attended by chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency David Barnea and other senior Israeli security officials. On Tuesday, Barnea and Burns held a separate meeting to discuss Iran and other “regional challenges in which the two organisations intend to cooperate”, according to the statement.

Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that Burns will also meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian intelligence chief Majed Faraj in Ramallah.