The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Tuesday to meet with senior Israeli counterparts and “gain a clear understanding of Israel’s defense requirements,” the general’s headquarters said in a statement.

“I’m here to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and am particularly focused on avoiding other parties expanding the conflict,” Kurilla, the head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, said in the statement.

Kurilla’s visit comes a day before an expected trip to Israel by President Joe Biden and four days after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled there in a show of support after surprise attacks by Hamas. The Biden administration has rushed additional munitions to Israel, and two aircraft carriers and dozens of additional warplanes to the region, in an effort to deter a wider regional war and to carry out possible airstrikes to defend U.S. interests.

The New York Times Services