Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff met Israeli officials, including Ehud Barak and Benny Gantz in Tel Aviv

Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff visited the Israeli occupation forces’ headquarters in Tel Aviv on Friday where he met Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz.

Gen. Martin Dempsey told Barak at the start of their meeting that he was “pleased to be here. We have many interests in common in the region in this very dynamic time and the more we can continue to engage each other, the better off we'll all be.”

The two were expected to discuss Iran's nuclear program and other developments in the Middle East, as well as to reschedule the joint US-Israeli military drill, which was postponed recently, Israeli daily Yediot Ahronoth reported.

Earlier, Gantz told the top US general that "both our countries share the same interests, the same values, and I'm sure that we can somehow work it out, together."

"My presence here, I hope, reflects the commitment we have for each other," Dempsey responded. "I'm here to assure you that's the case."

Dempsey has also met with Military Intelligence Chief Major General Aviv Kochavi and Israeli Military Plans and Policy Directorate Chief Major General Amir Eshel.

Dempsey arrived in the occupied Palestinian territories on Thursday on his first visit after taking office.

Gen. Dempsey will also meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres.