U.S. Deputy Military Chief Meets Israel's Barak

The Vice Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral James Winnefeld, held talks with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday, the ministry said, as tensions rise over Iran's nuclear program.

A statement from the ministry containing pictures and a video of the two said that Winnefeld met Barak in his Tel Aviv office, without providing details on the meeting.

Earlier on Thursday, army radio reported that the "secret" meeting was to take place, with the Israeli military refusing to confirm.

According to the report, Winnefeld was in the country at the invitation of his counterpart, Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Yair Naveh.

It was not immediately clear when Winnefeld arrived, but he was expected to leave later on Thursday.

Army radio said the visit had been kept under wraps because of political sensitivities between Israel and Washington over how to handle Tehran's nuclear ambitions, which both governments suspect are an attempt to develop a weapons capability.

Tehran insists its program is completely peaceful, but Israel has warned that a nuclear Iran would pose an existential threat and said it would take all necessary steps to prevent that from happening, including a pre-emptive military strike.

Next week, another senior U.S. military official is due in Israel, the Ynet news website reported.

Lieutenant General Craig Franklin, currently the commander of the U.S. Third Air Force, is to visit ahead of a joint military drill between the two armies which is due to take place next month, Ynet said.

Last week, Time magazine said the U.S. had significantly scaled down the planned joint exercise, reducing by more than two-thirds the number of U.S. troops taking part in a move linked to disagreements over how to deal with Iran's nuclear program.

Tensions between the two allies have grown in recent weeks over reports suggesting that Israel was mulling an attack on Iran without White House approval.