Israel’s top intelligence officials have made separate visits to Washington in recent weeks to consult with U.S. counterparts on strategy toward Iran, as regional tensions rise and the United States increases its military presence in the Middle East. According to foreign sources, Israeli officials used the meetings to share intelligence on potential targets inside Iran.

Mossad Director David Barnea traveled to the U.S. on Jan. 16, where he met with U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and held additional high-level national security meetings, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Barnea’s visit came shortly after a Jan. 14 phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump, during which Netanyahu urged the president to delay any potential military action against Iran until additional U.S. forces were deployed to the region, according to foreign sources cited in the report. The request was aimed at strengthening both offensive capabilities and defensive protections for Israel.

Separately, IDF Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder met this week with senior U.S. military officials in Washington, just as the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the region, completing a significant phase of Washington’s military buildup in the Middle East.

The discussions come as Saudi officials have reportedly sought to promote a diplomatic track to reduce tensions.

Israeli officials are said to be presenting complementary assessments in Washington. IDF intelligence has focused on how U.S. airpower could be applied against a broad range of Iranian military targets and on the regime’s key centers of power. The Mossad, meanwhile, has emphasized Iran’s nuclear program and provided analysis on internal political dynamics, including the balance between the regime and opposition forces.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)