WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter will fly out to Israel for a visit on Sunday and then will visit Saudi Arabia and Jordan on the same trip, the Department of Defense announced in a news release.
“Secretary Carter will begin his trip in Israel on July 19,” the release read on Friday. “He will work with Israel to further explore ongoing efforts to identify solutions to some of their most critical security challenges — countering Iran's destabilizing activities and preventing terror attacks.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly opposed the agreement and the country’s leaders fear the money will be used to expand Iranian-backed terrorist activities against their country and around the Middle East.
Carter will also travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to meet with senior Saudi officials, the news release stated.
On the last stage of his trip he will visit Jordan to focus on the international coalition's fight against the Islamic State, the Defense Department said.
