UPDATE - US defense secretary arrives in Israel amid Mideast tour

UPDATES WITH DETAILS

By Mahmoud Barakat and Abdelraouf Arnaout

ANKARA (AA) – US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on Thursday from Egypt on the last leg of his current tour of the Middle East region.

“We will continue to work closely with Israel to promote regional stability and counter common threats through our robust defense cooperation,” the Pentagon chief tweeted.

Austin met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

"I am pleased to welcome Minister Austin again to Israel. We have a common agenda to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, prevent Iranian aggression, preserve the security and prosperity of this region, and strive to expand the circle of peace," Netanyahu told reporters before the meeting.

"This is an important agenda, and I look forward to discussing it," Netanyahu added.

For his part, the Pentagon chief told reporters that the US is committed to Israel’s security.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that Netanyahu and his wife Sara left West Jerusalem for the airport in a helicopter amid protests in Israel.

Austin arrived in Egypt on Wednesday on the second leg of his tour that began in Jordan on Sunday. He also visited Iraq.

His visit to Israel coincides with mass protests in the country against government plans to introduce judicial changes, seen by the opposition as an attempt to reduce the powers of the judicial authority in favor of the executive authority.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara