U.S. President Donald Trump's senior envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's military chief, two senior Israeli officials said on Monday.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. Reuters/Romina Amato
U.S. President Donald Trump's senior envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's military chief, two senior Israeli officials said on Monday.
The officials said Witkoff's visit to the country was expected to begin on Tuesday. It comes amid heightened regional tensions with Iran, and as the Trump administration presses ahead with its plan to end the Gaza war.
Iran is weighing terms for resuming talks with the United States soon after both sides signalled readiness to revive diplomacy over a long-running nuclear dispute and dispel fears of a new regional war.
A third Israeli official said Witkoff's meetings will be preparatory ahead of the talks possibly resuming and would follow up on a weekend meeting by Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir with his U.S. counterpart General Dan Caine in Washington.
Tensions are running high amid a military buildup by the U.S. near Iran, following a violent crackdown against anti-government demonstrations last month, the deadliest domestic unrest in Iran since its 1979 revolution.
Reporting by Maayan Lubell
U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war was given a boost on Monday with the reopening of the enclave's Rafah crossing with Egypt. But difficult questions remain unaddressed, including whether Hamas will disarm.
Israel reopened the border between Gaza and Egypt on Monday for a limited number of people on foot, allowing a small number of Palestinians to leave the enclave and some of those who escaped the war to return for the first time.
Gaza's main border crossing in Rafah will reopen for Palestinians on Monday, Israel said, with preparations underway at the war-ravaged enclave's main gateway that has been largely shut for almost two years.
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