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
An Iranian parliamentary committee is reviewing a preliminary bill that would bar U.S., Israeli and other "hostile" vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a lawmaker.
Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday while Lebanese authorities said Israeli retaliatory attacks killed at least one person, a flare-up in violence that coincided with the latest round of talks between the two countries.
The Israeli military said it had begun targeted strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday in response to a "Hezbollah violation", a day after the latest round of U.S.-facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon took place in Rome.
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